Isis Swift: Underdog
by VividlyCloudyDreams
Summary: Isis is a loud-mouthed, fiery community home girl who just happens to be in the Hunger Games. What will she do to get back home and show Panem that underdogs can win against the lapdogs? T just in case it gets gory in the games.
1. Pre Reaping

**A/N Hello, all! This is my third fan-fic and I finally decided to do a multi-chapter fiction. This is a story about a girl from 7 who goes into the 52nd Hunger Games. I'll more then likely be updating this frequently because I'm on summer vacation and, at the moment, I don't have anything else to do. So please read and reviewing would make my day.**

**Pre-Reaping**

Hunger Games. Those two words send chills down the spines of so many in my home district, District 7. For 364 days everyone waits for the one day of the year that makes everyone, including me, chew my nails down to nonexistence, reaping day. On this day, two young lumberjacks will head off to the nightmare that we all have experienced in some way. Sure, District 7 has quite a large number of victors but that doesn't mean we like the games. Once your name is called, everything shatters for you. Your present. Your future. Your life. Many die but some have to live, to become victors. That leaves you the burden of knowing that you survived when the other 23 couldn't. The burden that you killed some of them. The burden that you'll live on in fear, fear of your past.

I really have a much better life then most of those in 7. Well in my perspective I do but everyone else looks at me as if I'm scum. You see, I'm a community home kid. I've lived in this wretched place ever since I could remember. I guess my parents didn't want me or couldn't handle having a hungry child. Those parents don't really have to worry over me though, I'm happy how things turned out. This community home has changed me, in ways that can be described as good and bad. It's made me grow thick skin so I can take a lot of hits without going down. I've grown quite a mouth as well. Since I have lived in the community home many kids tease me for it from time to time. It's never the same kid though because once you say something bad about me or my community home 'family' you'll be shut up real quick. Don't think I'm invincible though. My status in the district is the 'community home girl' or 'just another orphan' so I have very few friends outside of the home. It's caused me to actually grow attached to my alone time. Most girls stare at me when I eat alone at lunch but nowadays they've got over the poor girl and have gone back to their gossip about how they just can't wait to marry them a hairy lumberjack. Idiots.

"Lily! Rose! Stop your damn bickering and go get dressed!" I order as the two girls in front of me begin to slap each other over some stupid teddy bear they both adore. Lily and Rose immediately stop fighting and glare at me with their once innocent blue eyes. The community home had forced them to lose their innocence and to become as hard as steel. My own blue eyes had turned that way almost immediately. Actually, I've never seen my eyes look as innocent as theirs once were. Maybe I was just born like that.

"Shut up, Isis. Your not dressed either." huffs Rose before storming out of the room, Lily trailing right behind her. I really don't understand what goes through those girls minds sometimes. One minute their fighting like hell then the next they're playing dolls as if they are perfect buddies.

"That's because it doesn't take me an hour to get ready, girls!" I scream as I hear their tiny footsteps descend our creaky stairs. They were only 12 and fairly small but those stairs made them sound as if they weighed a few hundred pounds.

"What was that about?" I turn my head to see my caretaker, Fiona, looking at me with her arms crossed. She's worked here ever since I was born so we had become close friends and I know this is just her teasing me. The community home doesn't really have many rules.

"Just the flower children acting up again." I say casually using the nickname that all of the older kids use around here. I'm not sure why but a lot of the younger kids are named after flowers. Rose, Lily, Daisy, and Orchid are just a few examples. I'm lucky my name is Isis because I'm only a letter away from being Iris, another flower name.

"What else is new. Anyways, you should get dressed. The reaping starts in an hour and only half the kids are even awake yet." Fiona smiles and ruffles my hair as she walks down the stairs, already yelling at Rose again for punching some kid in the face.

I laugh and head up the stairs where all of the girl's rooms are. I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping to find something decent on my bed. The reaping clothes are always donations from the others in District 7 so that usually means they were so bad that not even the poor people wanted them. My eyes creep open to see the puffiest dress possible. It's the color of puke and I think I even see some puke stains on the front of it.

"Oh gross," I exclaim as I lift the dreaded thing. "This should be a health hazard. Oh god it stinks!" I mentally gag while examining the dress before me. That's when I notice a sliver of purple between the sleeve of my dress. I drop the dress to the dirty carpet below to see a purple dress on the bed beside of my own. It definitely isn't beautiful but it does look ten times better then the puke dress. From the looks of it, it could probably fit me. Who's bed is that? I mentally imagine the room during the night and I remember that the girl who sleeps next to me is only a year older. Astrid is her name and she is around my size so who would mind my taking her dress? It's just a little swap.

I grab the puke dress off of the dull floor and cautiously walk over to Astrid's bed. The rest of the girls will be up here soon so I better do this quick. I drop the puke dress on her bed then quickly snatch up the purple one before anyone can enter the room. A sinister smile makes an appearance on my face as I drop the purple dress onto my own bed. I let the smile fade as I neaten up the puke dress on Astrid's bed so that it looks as though Fiona put it there as we all know in the home that Fiona likes everything to be orderly.

"Ooooooooo!" I turn around in shock to see little Lily standing in the doorway, smiling her little head off. Lily is dressed in her orange dress that she must have gotten from someone else because I remember that thing from last year. I think the girl was reaped. Lily's wearing a cursed dress. I wonder if that puke dress is cursed? Or the one I just stole?

"Tell anyone and I'll personally make sure you get reaped. Now get out of here so I can change!" I snap through gritted teeth and the little girl's smile vanishes almost instantly. All of the little kids that can be reaped think that us older kids can tell the escort to pick their name out of the reaping ball. It's sinister I know but it keeps them in line so Fiona has never minded. Just as long as whoever we threatened doesn't get reaped and then the joke won't be funny anymore.

Lily leaves the room and a faint giggle echoes through the silent halls. Most of the others are probably dressed already so I quickly slip the purple dress over my head. Thankfully, it isn't too baggy but it definitely doesn't fit as good as the puke dress would have on me.

"Isis! Astrid! Orchid! Caine! Parsnips! You 5 are the only ones not dressed! Get your lazy butts down here!" yells Fiona from two floors down and I smile. Grabbing my boots, I race out the door and down the two flights of stairs. It's my turn to lead the kids down to the reaping area after Fiona has to go back behind the safety of the ropes. If I don't set a good example for the rest of them they'll all grow up into hooligans. Well that's how Fiona worded it anyways. I didn't really think being a bit unordered will alter someones future that much.

I get to the bottom floor to find a sea of orphan kids, all dressed in awful outfits. The home holds about thirty kids but only about twenty of them are eligible for the reaping yet that still makes it hard to move around without bumping into someone. Squeezing my way through I finally find Fiona who is standing next to the door that leads outside.

"Here," I say with a smile "Is everyone else dressed?" I ask casually, leaning against the door next to my caretaker.

"Just Astrid and Caine." I nod and begin to put my boots on, hopping up and down trying to fit my long foot into the boots I've wore for years. That won't matter to me unless these things decide that today is the perfect day to split open. Fiona look me up and down as I squeeze my second foot into a boot. "Is that the outfit I laid out for you, Isis?" Fiona raises her left eyebrow and I send her a nervous smile just before something catches my eye. Something puke-colored.

I look up to see Astrid descending the stairs, her gaze looking at the floor, her face as red as a beet. Poor Astrid. It's too bad I don't like her enough to admit the truth. Fiona is still watching me but that's when I realize that everyone is here. My time to shine. It's also my time to hide the fact that I stole Astrid's dress from her.

"Attention everyone," I begin with a normal voice and only a couple of people look my way but quickly go back to their conversations. They never do pay attention to anyone that isn't Fiona or Jaxx, the oldest boy in the home. "I said attention!" I yell much louder and everyone fades into silence, looking at me. "Thank you. Now, as we all know, today is reaping day!" a few people groan and I shoot them all a glare, individually. "Trust me everyone, it's not that bad as long as you can get through the Treaty of Treason!" my voice raises because a few people have actually begun whispering to those around them. I'll maintain this voice then. "Alright, everyone line up by age and gender! Youngest in the front and oldest in the back! First the girls then the boys!" everyone shuffles into a line that I quickly notice isn't straight and most are huddled together so they can talk to each other easily.

"Quiet!" screams Fiona from behind me, seeing my eyes locked on a crowd of girls giggling about Astrid's dress. I frown at them and Astrid meets my eyes for a second but I quickly look away. I'm not feeling that guilty but I still don't want to look her in the eye. It's feels wrong to gloat.

"Everyone ready?" I call to the people and a few people murmur or nod their head slightly. I frown and stomp my foot onto the ground, shaking it a bit. "I said, are you wimps ready!" this time a few nod quickly, eyes widened, and a couple yell out a loud 'yes'. The politer ones yell out 'yes mam' which makes me smile a bit. It feels good to be a leader.

I step in front of Rose, who slapped Lily in order to be in the very front of the line, and begin to walk out the door. Fiona leads us all to the number one place to go for a suicidal teenager, the reaping.


	2. Reaping

**Reaping**

"Rose, Lily, and Orchid to the left. Caine and Oak to the right" I say, directing all of the twelve year olds to their designated areas. Everyone goes in, silently, except for Rose who comes up to me, tears pooling in her eyes. Is it just me or do her eyes actually look innocent again? Rose wraps her arms around my waist, the highest she can reach on my tall body, and starts crying silently, her small frame shaking. I bend down, very aware of the many eyes watching me. "Shh. Shh. It'll be ok. Look, I'll go tell the escort not to pick you." I reassure her. Rose looks up from wiping snot on my sleeve and I notice that her eyes have gone back to their usual steel quality.

"Ok." she wipes her tears, suddenly aware of all of the other kids watching her, "I'm ok. Thanks a lot, Isis." she wraps her arms around my neck and I hug her back. What a sweet, manipulative kid. I say that because everyone should know that she did that so I would say she wouldn't be reaped. That smart little demon.

Rose runs off, punching Lily in the shoulder for laughing at her making a scene, and a smile creeps onto my face. I hope she doesn't get reaped. I'd never hear the end of it if I had lied to the oh so precious Rose. The smile falls off of my face and I lead the group to the thirteen year old section. Slowly but surely we make it to the eighteen year old section.

"Here you go, Jaxx." I say to the only eighteen year old in the community home. Jaxx is turning nineteen next month so he has been rather bored when it comes to his last reaping.

I've still got two more years until my last reaping, making me sixteen, and on that day the community home will be having a celebration for me, whether they like it or not. They usually have it anyways because of the departing eighteen year olds moving out, either to live on the streets or if they have a good job as a lumberjack then into a real home. I'm already employed as a lumber jack or as a 'lumberjill' as me and the other woman who work beside of me call ourselves. In 7, we all begin working or are at least eligible to work in the woods when you are eligible to be reaped. This is why we have so many victors, we are trained to kill without even knowing it.

"Yeah, well thanks for being my tour guide, Princess." says Jaxx with a smug smile, lifting my chin with his pointer finger. Jaxx is one of the boys who 'plays' the girls because apparently he is handsome which I don't see it. I just see some arrogant boy who thinks he is all that because of his 'muscles'.

"Shut up, jackass." I spit, smacking his hand away from my face. Don't be confused, I'm not the one girl he actually likes because I don't fall to his knees in worship, I'm just his favorite girl to annoy the hell out of with. Damn idiot is all I get from that.

"Hey? Do we really have to do this today, Isis?" he mutters. I look at him, smiling like the girls who find him attractive, and lean in. When my mouth is next to his ear I whisper softly.

"I can't wait until you leave the home. You've been stinking the whole place up since you got there." I say before backing away. Normally he would just shoot me a small smirk but I don't give him that chance. Instead, I lift my foot and stomp Jaxx's foot into the ground. "Stay away from me." I growl before storming off towards my section.

Jaxx is so annoying! He gets under my skin and I just hate that. Damn bastard! Damn, damn, damn bastard! I cuss Jaxx out in my head while making my way into my section where a few of the girls are already standing. The community home kids are always one of the first to arrive so I'll be standing here for a while. That's good though because that'll give me some time to rid Jaxx from my mind.

"Isis," I hear my name and immediately look up to see my best friend, Cosabella. Cosabella is crouched down and calling out my name, as if I'm laying down where everyone's feet are. "Isis, where are you?" she says, lowering her body even more. I sigh, stamping my foot on the ground, and walk forward so she can see me. "Isis," she calls again. Seriously?

"Cossy." I call quietly, using her nickname. She doesn't look up at all. I look around, making sure that no peacekeepers are around, and say in a normal voice "Cossy." Nothing. I stop fooling around and just say "Cossy!". Everyone in the girls section looks at me, eyes wide, and I stand up straight, smiling. Cossy is watching me and I head towards her, apologizing quietly when passing a girl. "Are you crazy?" I ask Cossy once I reach her "Are you really crazy?".

"I didn't know." she insists and I sigh, taking her back to our spot. By now, the others in the square have stopped paying us any mind which I am grateful for because I'm going to kill Cossy. Having an audience would complicate things.

"Really?" I begin before launching into a lecture about how I don't like attention drawn to me when around authority. I'm no teachers pet or anything, it's just that everyone was watching me and they looked down on me. No one looks down on me!

"Sorry." is all Cossy says and gives me a smile. Cossy is one of the few people that isn't in the community home but is still friends with me. She would sit with me at lunch but she is in the advanced classes at school so we aren't exactly allowed to eat lunch at the same time. Cossy is book smart but she sometimes acts like a ditz in real life. I'm not sure if she is pretending or if she has no common sense at all.

_Tap. Tap. _I look up from Cossy's freckled face to see our escort tapping the microphone. Our escort, Magenta Clemence, was readying for the reaping. Her violet suit, crystal shoes, diamond nails, aqua wig, powdered skin, and yellow eyes certainly made her stand out in our districts. Our people all have the brown hair, brown eyes. Well some of us have blue eyes but brown is definitely dominant here in the lumberjack district.

"Welcome, welcome! Today, as we all know, is the reaping day for the 52nd Hunger Games." she cheers, waving her gloved fists by her face. I look at Cossy and roll my eyes as she continues. "Before we begin, we must show you all a film, brought to you from the Capitol." she squeals when she mentions where she lives and I frown. How vain can you be, lady?

Magenta looks at the screen and the film begins. It starts with a pile of bones and quickly goes on to show a picture of a bomb going off. It is all the same and never changes.

"Would it kill them to add something new?" I whisper to Cossy who smiles. A peacekeeper saw us though and walks up to us. When he reaches us, he puts his pointer finger on his mouth and turns his head to watch the rest of the film, still standing by us. Standing guard I guess, not much else to do.

"This is how we save guard our future." I look up as the last words of the film end. President Snow's voice usually puts me to sleep but since the peacekeeper came over I've been alert. The peacekeeper smiles and walks off, his hands folded by his back.

"Now, we can begin the reaping. Let's say ladies first!" Magenta says with a smile, making her orange lips grow wider. She scoots over to the reaping ball, her suit restricting her leg movement, and takes off her glove. Cossy grabs my hand as her hand goes into the ball. Magenta grabs a slip of paper and Cossy squeezes my hand, as if they will save her from being reaped. Magenta breaks the seal and I draw in a breath of air.

"Isis Swift!"

My name hangs in the air, echoing through the silent square. I look up from my hands and see that she is still waiting for someone to come up, waiting for me to come up. If I cry, I die. Hm, that rhymes. I keep saying this in my head as I stand up, Cossy's grip on my hand firm.

"Let go." I say quietly but the square is so silent that everyone looks my way, probably recognizing my face and not my name.

Cossy releases my hand and I quickly make my way towards the stage. If I cry, I die. If I cry, I die. The tears never even threaten to come and I'm grateful for that. My face is plastered on the giant screen for everyone to see and I almost stop in my tracks, almost. They'll all look down on me, the community home girl who will surely die in the bloodbath. No. I refuse to die because that would be just confirm what they assumed of me. No!

My feet somehow make it up the stairs and onto the stage where Magenta is smiling again. Don't you dare smile at my death sentence, bitch. I wanted to say this so much, no yell it, but if I do then the peacekeepers will put me down on the ground, assuming I'm a threat. No, I'll be a good little tribute.

"Any volunteers?" there is utter silence in the square. I didn't expect to be saved so I just stare off into the distance, at the forest. "Well then, let's give a big hand for Isis Swift." says Magenta, obviously pleased that I'm not crying or a child. No one claps, excluding Magenta, which is the usual and I'm grateful for that as well. I don't want my death sentence to be cheered on.

In the crowd, I can see familiar faces. Cossy has her face in her hands, crying silently, Rose is staring at me with innocent eyes, Fiona is nodding slowly as if she wanted it to be me who was reaped, and Jaxx is just watching me with disbelief. At least some of them will mourn my death.

"Now, for the boys." says Magenta and I watch her make her way to the boys reaping ball. No one in the boys section is really close to me so whoever it is would die at my hands if it means my survival. Magenta waste no time and grabs a slip of paper, opening it while walking to the microphone, and she calls out the name.

"Jaxx Stacee!"

What! I watch as Jaxx makes his way to the stage, unfazed by his name being called, just like me. How dare Magenta? How dare she pick _him_! Sure, I don't particularly like the guy but that doesn't mean I'll kill him without question! Jaxx stands beside of me and I straighten my body, determined to not look at his face.

"District 7, I give you your tributes for the 52nd annual Hunger Games! Isis Swift and Jaxx Stacee!" Magenta says dramatically and I frown. I'll be representing District 7. I'm the example for this years games. Pressure much? "Alright, shake hands you two." Magenta sounds as though she is tired and just wants to go back home to the Capitol.

Jaxx turns to me and I him. We looked each other in the eye before he extends his hand. I look a it, his hand is bigger then mine but mine have calluses. Jaxx isn't a lumberjack so he only has his muscle. I have my height, muscle, and fiery personality. Ha! I grasp his hand and we shake, his brown eyes staring at me the whole time. Creeper. Jaxx Stacee, get ready to die. Beauty can't get you much farther then the interview.


	3. Goodbyes

** Hello readers! I have got a lot of hits but not many reviews but that doesn't really matter much to me. If I only did it for the reviews then what kind of author would I be? Thanks a lot though to my first reviewer and I'm glad you like the character and my writing style. I'll shut up now so you can read the goodbyes and sorry that it is shorter then the last two chapters. If I had gone any farther then the next chapter would have been short too.**

**Goodbyes**

Is it really this easy to hide all of the tears tributes have shed over the years with this plush room? The couch they had told me to sit in was rather comfortable and I'd even prefer to sleep on it rather then my bed in the home. I wonder what they will do with my bed after I'm gone? If I was them, I'd throw it out.

Besides the deep red couch, the room was also decorated with wooden carvings, seeing as how 7 is the lumber district, and I quickly find myself looking at them. I study how every flower curves the same as every other flower around it. I wonder how much thought went into decorating this one room for the walking dead.

"Isis?" I look up from the carvings on the wall to see Fiona, the caretaker. She had been nodding when I was reaped and I need to know why.

"Hey Fiona," I say casually as if I was passing her in the hallway. "Take a seat." I suggest, seeing that she looked rather uncomfortable standing. Fiona was holding her left elbow with her right hand, obviously feeling awkward. Fiona is use to being in control so when not one but two of her kids got reaped well she is probably crushed.

"I'm sorry this happened, Isis." she says, taking a seat next to me. Fiona takes my hands and smiles kindly. "I'm just glad that it was you."

"What? What do you mean?" I say, my voice a little angry but not enough to make her upset. Why did she want me to be reaped? Is my smart mouth bad enough that she wants me dead?

Fiona laughs, seeing that I took it the way I did. "Isis, I mean that it would better you then Rose or Lily. You see, you have a shot unlike the um younger ones."

"Oh." is all I have to say. I thought she wanted me dead but no she thinks I have a shot. Well maybe if all of the careers are wimps this year and if Jaxx dies in the bloodbath. Maybe then I'll have a chance. "Are you visiting Jaxx too?" I say with a slight frown.

Fiona looks at the ground, as if the wooden tiling interest her. It did look better then the dirt concrete floor at the home. "Yes," she says finally "I just thought you had a better chance at you know. Living. Sorry, that was uncalled for. I should love all of my kids equal-" I stop Fiona and hug her tightly.

"It's ok. I love you more then the rest of them too." Fiona starts crying and I rub her back. I actually would rather make her feel better then myself. My past can't change, I was reaped, and crying about it would just slow me down. While as Fiona still has the other kids to think about, I only have to worry about me.

"I'm sorry for breaking down. Here, I needed to give you this before leaving." Fiona digs something out of her pocket and I smile slightly, wanting to ease any tension left between us. She finally grasps the object and puts it into my hand.

At first, when looking at it, I thought it was a wooden coin until I saw that a leather string was looped through it. A necklace. The string was rough, brown leather, just like the boots I'm wearing, and on the end of it was a wooden circle. I flipped it over in my hand, afraid that my rough hands may break it, and see that a carving is engraved on the wooden coin.

"It's a lumberjack." Fiona tells me and I nod. On the carving is a tree and a figure is swinging an axe, the last swing before the tree falls.

"No," I say with a small smile "A lumberjill." I look up, hoping to see Fiona smiling as well, but instead see nothing. "Fiona?" I say and my eye catches the door closing. I didn't even get to say thank you or even goodbye.

The necklace seems out of place on my callused hand so I quickly put it over my brown hair and let it fall to my neck. Fiona, of course, got to decide what token I will bring into the arena.

"Isis!" a crowd of squeaky voices yell and I look up from my neck to see a crowd of flower children stampeding towards me, having to file in a line in order to get through the door. Leading the pack was little Rose who had tear stained cheeks but a smile on her face. They all plop down next to me on the couch or on the ground at my feet. I've got about ten of them in here, about three of them weren't even eligible for the reaping yet.

"Hey, flower children." I say smiling. If they think I'm happy or not broken up about being reaped then they won't all break down into tears, wiping their snotty noses all over me. I love them all but community home kids are sticky and nasty sometimes. "How are you all doing?"

"We just want you to win, that's all." says Lily, bouncing up and down the couch. This room must look so alien to these poor kids. Most of them are looking around the room, intrigued with the riches that can be contained in one single room.

"I will, I promise." I say with a very small smile. The kids all cast their eyes to the ground and I try to perk up. "And when I get back, I'll take you all to my new house. We'll have a feast! How would everyone like that?' I say, smiling. I feel as though it is story time and I'm telling them a story about rich people because they are hanging onto every word I'm saying.

All of the children cheer, obviously surprising any of the other guests waiting to visit me or Jaxx. We all laugh, many of them telling me what they want at the feast.

"I want chicken!"

"I don't like chicken!"

"What's chicken?"

I laugh as they all explain to each other what foods they want and describe what the food is. Eventually the peacekeeper comes and ushers them all out, Rose just happens to be the one to stay behind. Typical Rose.

"Your my favorite, Isis. So kick some career ass and win or I'll kick your ass." she says before leaving the room. That girl has a potty mouth but look whose talking.

The next and last person to visit me is Cossy. She is still crying and she rushes into the room, hugging me. Her tears are so different from the kids cheers about the feast I promised them. I'm not sure which one I like better, the happy and clueless kids or my grieving best friend.

"I'm so sorry, Isis." she says, her breaths quick and short.

"For what?" I asks with confusion on my face. What does she have to apologize for? For crying? That's expected of her!

Cossy wipes her tears away and says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world "For not volunteering, of course. All I did was stand there and cry, afraid to look at you on that stage. I'm so sorry." she collapses into me, crying loudly now. I try to calm her, hoping the flower children can't hear her outside.

"Are you crazy? First, you look for me on the ground and now you think I expect you to volunteer for me. Are you kidding me? You have so much going for you Cossy and I don't. You're better off alive then dead." I finish my little monologue and start to breath heavy. "Don't ever apologize for that again!" I say when she doesn't respond after a few seconds.

"But, I thought. I thought you wanted me too." shes says, shaking her head as if she is trying to remember me saying something like that to her. "Ok, then. Just please don't die or I'll hate myself forever. I mean it, don' die!" she says pointing her finger at face to show that she was being stern.

"I'll be sure to put that on the old to-do list, right before the flower children's feast." I say with a smile. Cossy is yet again confused so I tell her all about the feast. We laugh together and I memorize the exact sound of her laugh, the ways he smiles with a smirk, how her curly hair looks like a pigs tail. I laugh at my own joke which makes Cossy laugh nervously, unsure of why I'm laughing to myself. I'll miss her and her confusion.

"I'm sorry, for being such a handful." I say when I notice the clock says we only have a minute or two left.

"A handful? You've been the best friend I could ever had, Isis. Just please don't die." she says for about the millionth time and that's when the peacekeeper walks in. We look into one another's eyes before embracing each other one last time. We stay this way until the peacekeeper tells us that it is essential that Cossy leaves right then. Breaking apart, I see that Cossy is no longer crying.

"Hello, you." says Cossy and I look up to see the peacekeeper. The one who caught us talking during the Capitol video. Cossy leaves, leaving me with the guard peacekeeper and I smile at him.

"Karma,"

"What?"

"It was probably karma when I was reaped. You know, talk during the reaping and you get reaped."

"Sure, whatever you say, kid."

I sigh and walk out of the door with the peacekeeper guy. We make it about two steps out of the door when I see Jaxx, no tears in his eyes either. Damn. I was hoping that he would finally crack so that the announcers would portray him as a weakling that put on an act. Jaxx sees me and gives a light shrug.

"Dumbass," I mumble and the peacekeeper guy stops in front of me, turning to face me.

"What did you say to me?" he says all serious-like.

"Nothing, sir." I say and he watches me for a little longer before turning back around.

Jaxx and I burst out laughing but the peacekeeper guy just keeps walking, taking us towards a crowd of photographers. Sure, I have to kill Jaxx but why be a sourpuss while he is still alive. Or while I'm still alive.


	4. Train Ride

**Sorry for late update! I hope this chapter makes up for it.**

**Train Ride**

Camera flashes blind my eyes as my mouth strains to smile at the various photographers. After leaving the Justice Building, I had been swamped by a dozen photographers surrounding me in a circle, all demanding that I look at them specifically. I'd stood there for at least two full minutes until Magenta, the escort, had jerked me out of the circle and towards the train.

"Now you can smile." Magenta tells me as we climb the first step towards the train and turn around to face the photographers. I have to be the perfect little tribute and smile just as the Capitol wants me to. Smiling is hard for me to do as it is usually forced and many people call it fake-looking but sometimes a genuine smile manages to find it's way onto my face. Let's just hope that it will right now.

"Isis, over here!"

I look to the left. _Flash._

"Isis, here!"

Right. _Flash._

I must look like a wild person, my hair whipping my face, my eyes big. Maybe it is almost over and I can get onto the train. Jaxx had easily smiled when the photographers had first mobbed us but now his smile is faltering. At least I'm not a wimp for giving up and just glaring at the cameras.

"Alright, time to go." chimes in Magenta and my whole face drops. My cheeks felt stressed and were probably red.

Jaxx and Magenta slowly climb the stairs but I dash right into the train car. Maybe a normal tribute wouldn't do that but I'm sure that people will still sponsor someone who cherishes their eyesight. When the door shuts behind me I quickly rub my eyes, white flashes still popping up in my vision. Blinking the remaining lights away, I look around the train car.

"Woah," I say when I see the piles and piles of food. Chicken, beef, sandwiches, soups, and much more things that I can't even identify cover the tables. Food is so sacred and hard to come by in 7 and in the train it is the most abundant thing. How come the Capitol can't just ship us a tad bit every year and maybe the districts will get by.

"It really is amazing isn't it." says Magenta from behind me "Even though you're here and it's only for a little while you still get to experience the Capitol life." Magenta says happily but a smile never even threatens to surface on her face. She's been the escort of 7 long enough to know that she doesn't always have a guaranteed victor in her hands, especially this year when we both are community home kids.

I quickly dive into the food, stuffing two rolls into my mouth, and don't even watch anyone else's reaction. They watch kids die each year so if they dare to see me pigging out then they shouldn't be too grossed out. Once I finish with the rolls then I head for the various fruits.

Grabbing a strawberry and popping it in my mouth, I finally look over at Magenta and Jaxx but only see Magenta who is watching me with confusion and shock on her face. I wonder what she is confused about? That I've dared eaten food without using silverware? I move away from her and onto looking for Jaxx. Eventually, I find him in the meats where he is stuffing a steak in his mouth. Mr. Cool must have broken down and stooped to my level. He may act slick but hunger usually takes over with home kids.

"Stop. You two will have plenty of time to eat tonight, right now you must meet your mentors." Magenta squeals, coming back to her sense of manners.

Jaxx and I look at each other and stop eating, wiping our filthy hands on own outfits. I'm not going to wear the purple dress again so whats the harm in ruining it now. We walk up to Magenta, our mouths bloated from stuffing our mouths without swallowing, and smile, revealing our chewed-up food.

"Oh, god! Please just swallow, children!" she exclaims, covering her mouth with her fingertips as if she is about to puke. This just brings on another smile and she retreats to the couch just as our mentors walk in.

As I said earlier, 7 has the most victors of all of the non-career districts but we have yet to have a female victor. Let's hope that this year is the year that that changes. The first mentor to walk in is Liam Camden, the secret genius that won four years ago by joining the career pack but killing them early in the games. His games had given all of the other districts a fair chance. After Liam is one of our first victors, Zeke Barton, a 60 year old man who won his games because he could use an axe when most of the other tributes couldn't even slice someones skin with a knife.

Zeke goes up to Jaxx and Liam to me which makes me smile. This, in turn, makes the mentors look disgusted because I had forgotten that my mouth was still stuffed with food.

"Sorry," I say which comes out muffled and could have meant anything to them.

"Anyways," says Liam, changing the subject "I will be your mentor," he points at me "And Zeke will be yours." he points at Jaxx. "Before anything else, whats your names?" he asks and I quickly try to swallow my food.

"I'm Jaxx." says Jaxx with a clear voice, obviously proud that he could swallow his food. Jaxx looks at me, desperately trying to swallow my food and arches an eyebrow. "Are you choking?"

I shake my head and force myself to swallow the remaining food. Taking deep breaths I manage to say "I'm Isis and sorry bout the food and all. I was hungry." Zeke makes a sighing sound but Liam just smiles. Zeke had won early on so when hunger had struck the district he was rich enough to not be affected by it but Liam has experienced hunger so he must at least understand.

"It's alright. I'm surprised Magenta could stand being in the same room with you two though, seeing as she couldn't with me.

"That's because you rubbed it in my face, Mr. Camden." she says astonished that Liam would bring that up. I smile as Magenta heads out the door.

"Well, since Magenta is gone, I guess _we _will show you to your rooms." Liam suggest and we just watch him. Liam takes me and Zeke takes Jaxx.

We go down a hallway and stop when we reach a light brown wooden door. Liam presses a button beside the door and it slides open without making a sound. Cool. I'm just about to step into the room when Liam stops me.

"Magenta will come and get you for dinner, Isis, is it?" I nod and he smiles as if he is pleased with himself for remembering my name "We should reach the Capitol by the time you wake up tomorrow so you shouldn't have to sit around for too long waiting on the others." I nod again and Liam turns around when I remember that I need to ask him something.

"Um," he turns his head to look at me, his face revealing that he is feeling a bit inpatient. "Did I look scared at the um reaping?"

Liam turns his whole body before answering my question which makes me even more nervous. Why did I even ask? "You looked fine. Now, stop worrying about yourself and worry about your competition." he walks off before I can respond and I ponder over what he has said. Maybe it's like Zeke's games where his competition was so weak from the beginning that he just made out alive because of sheer luck. I guess that will be revealed later at the recap.

Once Liam disappears behind a corner, I go into my room and look at the accommodations. A lavender bed that was shaped like a circle, a mahogany dresser, gray carpet, blue walls and a white ceiling. It was the size of half of my house and it shocks me that the Capitol people don't even cherish what they have. I wonder how it would feel if they could be placed in our shoes for just one week?

Eventually, I go into the bathroom and slide the purple dress off of my body. I walk into the shower, closing the curtain behind me, and turn around to see at least three dozen buttons.

"What the hell?" I yell a little too loud but the bathroom door is closed so they shouldn't hear. "Damn Capitol and their damn showers." I continue to mumble and curse the Capitol lifestyle as I read the buttons, trying to decipher which one is the shampoo. Finally, I press a button that sprays my hair and body in a soapy liquid that smells like grapes even though it is a red color. After the red grapes, I find some green conditioner that smells like pine and I actually press that several times because pine reminds me of the forest which reminds me of 7. Oh how I long for 7. It's strong trees are so different from the Capitol's flimsy and plush well everything.

I finally get out of the shower to find a giant fan blow-drying my entire body. It freaks me out at first but it eventually stops and my hair falls and it looks shiny for the first time in my life. I wrap a towel around me and go into the bedroom where a man in a red outfit is laying out an outfit.

"Who the hell are you?" I demand at the man and he slowly straightens his back and turns to look at me. His whole body is relaxed, despite the fact that I just screamed at him, and he just bows before leaving. "Damn Capitol and their damn servants."

I pick up the black pants and shiny blue shirt he put out on my bed. It looked rather expensive and I was almost afraid to wear it because it may change me. What if I start talking Capitol, wearing Capitol couture, eating Capitol dining, and just being Capitol.

"Isis, language!" I stand up, defensively wrapping the towel around my body, and see Magenta. I laugh because she had heard me complaining about the Capitol but only cared about my cursing and not me criticizing about her home.

"Opps?" I say, shrugging my shoulders.

"Ugh," she says "Time for dinner and keep the language to a minimum, Miss. Swift." Magenta storms off and I laugh. She must think I'm filth as she has only seen me with food in my mouth and cursing her Capitol. It's too bad that she is too Capitol for me to care.

I shut the door, drop the towel, and put on the clothes that the man laid out for me. Maybe being Capitol isn't as bad as being a tribute. I have to go along with everything otherwise I will die in the bloodbath.

Everyone is at dinner already when I arrive but they haven't got their food yet so I'm not too late. I take a seat next to Jaxx and Magenta who noticeably scoots her chair away from me. Jaxx's cheek that faces me rises and I stomp his foot below the table so that only he will notice it. He grits his teeth to keep from yelling an insult at me, as every community home kid does naturally, and watches the food arrive.

Suddenly, the table is surrounded by people in red, all serving us our food. The same man from my bedroom set down a plate of steaming hot food and I look him right in the eye.

"Isis? What are on earth are you doing?" exclaims Magenta and I don't let my eyes leave the mans who seems to be shrinking under my gaze.

"Who are they and why was this one," I jab my finger at the man in front of me "in my room?"

Magenta, Zeke, and Liam burst out laughing and the man takes that opportunity to retreat. Jaxx looks at me and I raise an eyebrow to see if he knows whats going on but Jaxx just shrugs, obviously as confused as me.

"They're avoxes, Isis." says Liam and I don't let up on my confused look so they all launch into a lecture about an avox is. I basically get that it is just another person that has fallen under the iron grip of the Capitol. I sigh and eat my blue peas, thinking of how 24 people, including me, are falling under the iron grip of the Capitol now and only 1 will come out of it.

**I had to stop it kinda early but the next chapter should be out soon. Oh and sorry that it wasn't especially good but it's a train ride so what do you expect.**


	5. The Capitol

**Whoo 2 reviews! :) It's not many but I'll take it. Oh and sorry about last chapter with the mentor's name being changed in the middle of the chapter. I was deciding between Liam and Alec while writing so it got jumbled in my mind but I fixed it so it should be all good now. We are going to reach the Capitol by the end of this chapter so it should get more interesting from here. Thanks for reading and enjoy.**

**The Capitol**

"It's coming on, everyone!" says Magenta in a singsong voice. How can she be so cheery all of the time? Doesn't she know that one of us on this train is guaranteed to die? Let's just hope that it's just one of us instead of two because then maybe the community home kids will have their feast, the victor bringing riches to their district and all.

"The reaping recap?" I ask, holding my stomach. I'd eaten a little too much so the couch Magenta was sitting on looked very comforting at the moment.

"No, the latest lipstick commercial." Jaxx says sarcastically as he takes a seat next to Magenta.

"It's a simple question, Jaxx. Don't be an ass about it." I snap, taking a seat on the other side of Magenta in order to stay away from him.

"Language," hisses Magenta in my ear so that only I can hear.

Magenta hadn't failed to fix my manners but she had failed to mention to Jaxx that he was being rude as well. Maybe she has her favorites and so far my favorite person on this train is Liam. I don't consider him a friend but at least he tolerates me, unlike Magenta.

"Ooo, it's starting!" Magenta jumps up and down on the couch which makes my stomach ache that much more. I don't say anything about it though otherwise she'll tell me that eating that much food was my choice so now I had to face the consequences or something like that. I don't want to listen to her lecture _and watch_ the reaping recap.

Zeke and Liam settle down onto the couch just as the anthem starts. We listen to the tune in silence and I start to fidget a bit as I think of who I'll be up against. One of these children on the screen tonight will be the victor.

Once the anthem finishes, it goes straight to District 1. 1 is one of the richer places in Panem but they certainly aren't the most bloodthirsty. The female tribute, Poise, was rather tall and some muscle showed on her arms but not enough that I think she is going to be the biggest threat in the games. I'll watch for later news about the blonde beauty from 1. The male tribute, Tassel, was a volunteer and he came storming out of the 18 year old section, his muscles bulging. Tassel, too, was blonde but that was where his similarities with Poise stopped because he towered over her, an arrogant smile on his face.

"Typical careers," grumbles Zeke, drinking some more of his water. Zeke was a drug-free victor, as far as I knew, but he always had to be doing something to keep him distracted.

District 2 was the big career district so I leaned up, my elbows on my knees, to get a closer look. The female, Elvira, was a volunteer despite her being only 13 years old. She had virtually no muscles but her menacing smile showed that she thought she had something that would make her the victor. The male volunteer, Cimber, was pure muscles and I knew that he had the strength, but did he have the brains? Cimber seemed like he would last long but with 1 boy he may have another thing coming. I lean back onto the couch again, knowing that I just got through the tough tributes, and watch the reapings blur together.

District 4's female, Marlene, was a real beauty and I could tell that she would be having some sponsors. District 4 usually wins if they have a beautiful tribute but that is if she can use a trident or spear decently.

District 6's male, Tuscan, was the youngest contender, 12 years old, and he walked to the stage without a tear in his eye. He didn't look strong or healthy with his skeleton body but he didn't look scared either. He'll either be a bloodbath or one of those underdogs that manages to make it a few days if he gets a proper weapon or alliance.

Then we are at District 7 and I lean up again. I'm called up and if anything, I don't looked surprised at all, as if I expected it. Not exactly what I was going for but I'll take it. Jaxx looks mildly shocked but not so much that a sponsor would notice, only someone from the districts with a keen eye for fear would take note of it.

"Not bad, kids." says Liam and I lean back onto the couch, my stomach feeling better. We were probably not going to be remembered but at least we won't be seen as a weak district. The reapings blur again and I watch them in mild interest.

District 8's male, Jaspe, is rather tall and he isn't all that bad-looking. He has a small chance of winning but not enough that the sponsors will be falling to his knees. He will have to work for his sponsors, unlike the careers.

District 11's female, Finch, was my age and she actually looked a little excited to be reaped. That's a first. Usually, 11 is one of the less enthusiastic districts. Maybe she has a skill that the tributes will have to watch out for. The only thing that 11 can do is plant food so what can she do? Make food quickly? I guess only time will tell.

District 12 pass by with two 14 year olds and I know that 12 has no chance this year. At least they had their second victor, Haymitch Abernathy, win the 50th Hunger Games. I heard he lost his family recently though so maybe they won't live past the bloodbath.

The anthem plays again and the room goes silent as we all go over who we will be facing in a few days. I personally think the strongest are the 1 boy and the 4 girl. They both are strong, good-looking, and certainly have the training for it. We all know good and well about that training academy in 1 and 2. 4 just has an advantage in their export.

"We got some good careers this year." Liam says blandly before looking at us, seeing if we'll react in anyway.

"Who should we watch out for?" I asks, seeing if Liam thinks the same as me.

"Tassel and maybe Elvira." he says and I raise an eyebrow. I understand Tassel, the 1 boy, but Elvira? She was the young volunteer from 2 so why worry about a child?

"Why Elvira? She didn't look very threatening to me." Jaxx says, jumping into the conversation.

"Are you guys new to this?" says Zeke, suddenly jumping into the conversation as well. "Elvira is so good that her parents allowed her to volunteer early. She is one of those prodigies who started training as soon as she could walk. Don't count out the small ones, kids. They'll surprise you just as they have in every other games."

"Why didn't she wait any longer until she was better so that she will be even that more stronger?" I asks and Zeke sighs, obviously mad that he even said anything to me.

"Arrogance. Impatience. I don't know! It's not like Elvira and I call each other every weekend to discuss this with each other, Isis." he gets up and storms to his room.

"Don't mind him. The old grump is just mad that he had to mentor this year." says Liam before heading off to his room.

"Well, I think that is enough for one day. How about you two go to bed and when you wake up, we'll be in the Capitol. How exciting!" Magenta says for the first time since the recap began. Maybe she knows that we have no chance against the careers.

"Sure," says Jaxx before heading off to his room, Magenta following him to her own apartment, leaving me alone in the apartment.

I run over what has just happened in my mind. I just witnessed who will be the winner and from the looks of it, it won't be me. The announcers had said that District 7 was always known for it's tributes being as strong as a oak but are we really? Are Jaxx and I going to make it that far in the games? I can use an axe and he can charm people if he really wants to. Any chance we have will be crushed by the careers, though. I should just stop thinking so much and let the cards fall where they do. I'll try my best and if that isn't enough then I guess the kids won't be having their feast.

When I wake up, Magenta is lightly knocking on my open door over and over again. She looks so Capitol that it makes me jump when I first see her. I then remember where I am and want to just get it over with. Get the games over with and if this comes up then get my life over with. I'm not suicidal, not yet anyways, but when you've been reaped you either accept your death or keep moving. I'm moving forward but not so much that I think I'll win.

"Wakie, wakie! We're here!" Magenta seems tickled that we've reached our destination so I just let my head collapse back onto the soft, comfortable pillow. "Isis, get up!" orders Magenta even though her voice is still happy and cheerful.

My head lifts up again and I sit up on one elbow. "Why?" my voice is deep and grumpy but that is the usual for the morning. I'm a night owl, not an early bird.

"Don't you want to see the Capitol?" she whines in a childish voice and I sigh. It means entirely too much to Magenta that she gets to show off her Capitol but I get up anyways, knowing that she has a high social status in the Capitol so maybe she can get me some sponsors.

"Of course," I say, my voice still grumpy but not angry or annoyed.

"Good, now get dressed because we'll be getting off in twenty minutes." she orders before dashing off, probably to wake up Jaxx.

Getting out of bed was hard to do considering my sleep was filled with nightmares about the careers surrounding me or Finch, the girl from 11, sneaking up behind me and making a red smile on my throat. I'd never woken up so my nightmares had trapped me in my mind all night.

The outfit laid out for me was a dark blue shirt that as covered in shiny purple sparkles, gross, white flats, and simple black jeans. It wasn't very Capitol but I was _not_ okay with the sparkles on my shirt. Maybe being a good little tribute is harder then I thought. Sparkles fell to the floor as I slipped the shirt over my head when the whole room went black.

"Who the hell shut off the lights?' I yell so that most people in the train could hear me because I have no idea who controls the light switches and where they are at. The whole train stays silent and dark for another thirty seconds until light floods back into the room. I sigh and put on the rest of my outfit before Magenta appears in my doorway.

"Sorry, I should have told you that we were about to go into a tunnel." Magenta smiles before rushing off down the hallway again. Magenta must be busy if she had forgotten to tell me something. It's not like her to forget something.

I'm just about to walk out the door until I remember something. I go into the bathroom and grab the necklace that Fiona had given me. It still looked the same but when I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I didn't like what I saw. My clothes and hair was entirely Capitol, so unlike the dirty district Isis. No! I'm not Capitol. I'm still the potty-mouthed community home girl from District 7. I nod at my reflection in the mirror and slide the necklace over my head.

"Five minutes," I hear Magenta call and my feet hurry out the door.

When I reach the main car, the one I boarded when first getting on, I see a colorful stream of colors outside of the window. My feet back up to see a crowd of Capitolites.

"Woah." I involuntarily say because I'm just so in awe of how ridiculous and expensive they look. Can't they spend money on something better then their own 'beauty'. They all wave at me, way too excited to see one single person. I decide to wave but not smile as they would then expect me to be the charming tribute. I can't let them set expectations of me that I know I can't meet. 'It's better to exceed a low expectation to not meet a high one' Fiona would always say when I was young.

"Oh good your ready." says Magenta, here chest heaving from so much running. I'm sure her tight violet outfit restricts most movement so it must have required quite some effort to run around this train. "It's time to get off, Isis."

I look out the window to see that we are no longer moving and that a crowd of photographers are waiting outside, chatting to each other before they stampede us. Of course, just after I get my eyesight back again they take it away.

Magenta lines everyone in front of the door, Jaxx and me in front so the cameras can get a good view, and the mentors in the back. The door slides open and my eyes catch one glimpse of the clear, blue sky before my world turns to white flashes everywhere. Welcome to hell, Isis Swift.

**Do you see the new review system? Wanna use it? It's _so_ futuristic!**


	6. Chariot Ride

**Chariot Ride**

"Take your clothing off." orders Mizar, the woman who said it was her job to do my hair. Mizar was the only female in my trio of Capitolites and after her saying that I had to be naked it was not a happy day for me.

"What! Why?" I demand and she looks a little taken back that I shouted at her. I don't care if she sends me out onto the chariot with an awful outfit, I don't want to strip down for these strangers.

"Well, we can't very well send you out into the world with those hairy things." Mizar points to my legs. Really? This is what they do to tributes? No wonder so many tributes look scared to death on those chariot rides, they've just been violated by the people who say they are going to make you look beautiful! "Besides, you'll get to wear a robe for most of the time." Mizar reassures me but I don't feel that much better.

"Alright, but do you mind looking away?" I asks a little too nicely but maybe being nice is good. Maybe if I'm nice they'll go easy on me. Maybe.

"Fine," Mizar throws up her hands and turns away just after she throws me the thin, blue robe. The thing was basically see through but I just stripped my clothes off and put them back on. "Ready?' Mizar is obviously annoyed that she had to look away but whats done is done so she can just get over it.

"Yeah," I say before laying down on the cold metal table. Mizar allows Kern and Atlas to come back in, the male twins who I asked if they could leave when I first saw the robe laying on the table. I don't want these grown men to see me naked!

Mizar begins to comb my frizzy morning hair that Magenta managed to keep clean for the cameras. I grit my teeth when she meets a tangle but just bulldozes right through it like I'm resistant to pain or something. Kern begins to file my nails which hurts like hell but saying anything would just make them that much more angry. Atlas does the worst job and starts to wax my my legs. It hurts so much and with every yank it stings even more. Sometimes it feels like he is ripping skin off but I can't hold onto the table because that would mess up my nails. Damn.

"Much better, Isis." compliments Mizar when she sees that I'm no longer resisting. I manage to nod right before Atlas yanks of another wax strip. The trio begin to chatter on and on about the local gossip and since I have no idea what or who they are talking about I'm forced to focus on nothing but the pain.

The pain goes on for another hour in which I did eventually have to get naked because they had to get the hair off of every inch of my body. Mizar and Kern had finished a long time ago and were now working on waxing me as well. Thye circled me, seeing where my body hasn't experienced agony yet. If this isn't the hardest part of the games then I really hate being reaped.

When they finish with the waxing I feel so relieved until they start to scrub my skin. It was worse then the waxing but at least then I could grip the table and push my head against the table without being yelled at by the prep team.

"Done," says Atlas about a lifetime later.

"Really?" I say, my voice strained from the hours of torture that I was just put through.

"Yes," Kern says. "Now you just have to meet Volumnia and get dressed." he says, throwing out the waxing strips that were covered in my dark hair.

The prep team all leave to retrieve my stylist and I quickly grab my robe again, covering my body but not putting it on. Volumnia will probably be tickled to see me get naked again so why bother putting it on. It feels awful to be this exposed to someone though because these people are complete strangers to me. It's awful!

Volumnia opens the door, her feet moving quickly, and I'm taken aback by how in charge she looks. She looks like a woman who knows what she wants and takes it, not the usual Capitolite who just gets what they want because they have the money for it. Volumnia looked like a cloud to me as her skin was sky blue but her lips, hair, and clothing was puffy and white.

"Hello," says Volumnia in a normal voice as if she is not happy or mad to meet me. Just a job to her I guess. She quickly walks in front of me and looks at me straight on. "Your good, put the robe on."

"You don't have to tell me twice." I mumble as I quickly slip the robe onto my hairless body. It felt weird to be so soft and vulnerable when I'm used to my callused hands and dry skin.

Volumnia walks around me, examining my face and hair so I straighten my slouched shoulders as it has become a habit of mine to slouch because of my height. Fiona use to fret over me saying that eventually I'll have a hunchback.

"District 7, huh?"

"Yes. Lumber and paper."

"Ah, yes, now I remember."

"Haven't you been our stylist yet?"

"No, they promoted me from 8 to 7."

"Oh"

"What do you want for the Chariot Rides?"

"Not a tree."

"Oh, of course not. That is so overdone."

"I agree."

"Alright, so here, is your outfit."

I look over at the plastic bag she is holding up and see, not a tree, but a leaf green dress covered in brown swirls.

"Nice." I say.

Twenty minutes later, I'm outfitted in a leafy green dress that has brown vines wrapped all around it that are placed so they show off my small curves. Brown flats that have no heels because my original shoes were heels until Volumnia saw that I was already tall enough. A leafy headdress was placed on my head just as I was herded out into the open where Jaxx was waiting.

Jaxx was dressed in a matching green outfit but his looked like a man dress which made me burst out laughing, startling his stylist for a second because it had been very quiet only moments beofre. I guess his stylist didn't know how to turn the outfit into something masculine. Jaxx frowns when he sees that my outfit looked better on me then his did on him which brought on another round of laughter.

"Shut up, tree fairy." grumbles Jaxx as we walk to the chariots.

"Tree fairy? That's the best you can come up with? How about you, vine princess?" I say. It's not my best comeback but it's enough to make Jaxx's face turn red with either embarrassment or anger. Another round of laughter comes on but I quickly stop when walking into the silent chariot room where everyone looks my way. I guess it's bad to be happy in the Hunger Games. Jaxx and I lower our heads and head over to our chariot.

Our horses were a dark brown color, matching Jaxx and mine's hair, and their eyes were also the same dark brown color. It would make more sense if they had green eyes for the leaves on the trees, wouldn't it? I guess most people don't pay to as much detail as I do, at least when it comes to these things.

"Oh, you're an animal lover now, are ya?"" says Jaxx, climbing onto the chariot.

"Shut up, princess." I mumble before heading over to the brown chariot that was covered in clay, green leaves.

We continue to argue quietly with each other about who's outfit is worse until the chariots are all filled up and begin to line up near the door. We stop our whisper argument and look straight ahead. Before going into the Remake Center, Liam had told Jaxx and I to play up the crowd but not so much that we were charming. Well he didn't say the charming part but I knew that I had to do that because of my reputation having nothing to do with charm.

"That's new," says a small voice in front of us and I see the 6 boy, Tuscan, looking at us.

"What?' I asks him just as the anthem begins to play and the giant doors open to let District 1 out.

"Your not trees." Tuscan says just a bit over the anthem but not yelling so only Jaxx and I can hear him.

"Yeah and you're not cars." I say as 2's chariot rides out, both tributes glaring at the cameras. Tuscan smiles and faces District 5's tribute.

"Awww, you feel sorry for the little wimp." comments Jaxx and I ram my hip into his. He can pick on me but he basically just told me that Tuscan was a guaranteed bloodbath. I don't exactly disagree but that doesn't mean that you can say it aloud. It just makes the fact that 23 of us are going to die become that much more real.

A minute later and we are rolling out for the world to see. For all of the community home kids, Fiona, Cossy, Rose, Lily, Astrid, and everyone else in the world of Panem to see. No pressure.

Jaxx immediately begins to wave and smile, jumping up and down to show off his enthusiasm. I follow his lead and wave, smiling but with my mouth closed so that I don't seem too eager. The crowd cheers for us, obviously glad that we aren't trees and I blow a kiss. Not for these Capitolites but for everyone watching me at home, hoping Jaxx or I are the ones left standing.

"Can we make some noise for District 7?" I faintly hear the announcers say over the microphone right before the crowd erupts in a loud praise. We wave faster, Jaxx obviously loving the attention, and I hear a few girls whistle at him which makes me falter and roll my eyes. This idiot is either going to get a big-head or have a load of sponsors. Or both which would be the worst case scenario.

I hold my head higher, trying to recover from my flattering, and watch as the attention turns to District 8. My smile grows bigger because I know that the only people watching me now will be my fans, if I have any, or my 'family' at the home.

"That wasn't so bad." Jaxx tells me through a clenched smile. He was still waving and smiling even though the cameras were already on District 10 by now.

"Yeah, wait till training or the interviews." I say in my normal voice even though it sounds like a mumble in my own ears. Can't the crowd quiet down for just one minute?

We ride forward, my mind getting more bored by the second, and finally stop when we pull to the right of the City Circle, District 9 right behind us. I learned awhile ago that the evens go to the left and the odds to the right as if that makes us look more professional or organized. The crowd finally quiets down to a low roar until President Snows walks up to the podium, the crowd erupting into shouting and screaming again.

President Snow is our latest president, his golden hair showing no signs of gray, and most people adore him. Our last president was rather old for the duration of his time as Panem's leader so when this fresh, new face came along everyone fell in love with him. I hear he even has a couple of kids but he has no wife so we must not have a very honorable president.

"Welcome," his voice booms across the long crowd of Capitolites. "Tributes, we all welcome you. And we wish you, Happy Hunger Games!" the bloodthirsty crowd jumps up and down, looking like a colorful sea of cheerleaders. "And may the odds be ever in your favor." the President then launches into telling us what the Hunger Games are, as if we didn't know, but he is required to and he does it without a hitch.

Suddenly, I'm jerked forward as the chariot rides back into the indoors where the ceiling lights shine down brightly on us all, making the room warmer. Jaxx and I get off of the chariot to find that are legs are wobbly. I kick the air to stretch my limbs and they eventually get their strength back.

"Lovely! You two looked so happy!" says Magenta, running towards us before wrapping her arms around Jaxx's neck. Ugh! Is she in love with him or something because she only cares about Jaxx this and Jaxx that! Just because he is bigger then me doesn't mean he has a better chance of winning then me! Well it might but he is an annoying twit!

I storm off and find Volumnia smiling at me. Finally, someone who actually prefers me over the 'vine princess'! She pats me on the back, obviously not the affectionate type.

"Nice job, Isis. You'll definitely get some sponsors but just make sure you get a good training score. My outfit needs to reflect your score because I can't give you the best if you didn't get the best score, not can I?" she says with a smile.

"I guess not." I say shrugging, not knowing what the best outfit or the worst outfit looks like doesn't exactly motivate me. For all I know, the worst outfit is the best in my opinion. "Besides, you just leave training to me. I've got it handled."

**Review?**


	7. Training

**Training**

"Up, up, up! Time for training!" squeals Magenta, opening up the blinds on my window, allowing sunlight to flood into my eyes.

"What time is it?" I grumble, too lazy to open my eyes and check the clock myself. I didn't sleep very well last night because of the fact that I couldn't go to sleep in the first place, too anxious I guess.

"Seven in the morning and training starts at nine so you have to dilly dally if you want breakfast!" Magenta slides the covers off of me and throws them on the floor, just as the flower children would do to me in the morning when they wanted to annoy me with their stories about what their dreams or nightmares held.

After Magenta takes my pillows away, making my head hit the headboard, I get up. Magenta looks satisfied and runs off, never busy enough, I guess. After Magenta is gone, I head over to the closed door and open it just before the avox man walks in with clothes in his hand, right on schedule. The avox man looks a little taken aback when he sees me again, happy and not glaring at him.

"Thanks for the clothes." I say when he places the black and red outfit on my bed, the number seven on both shoulders. "Sorry about the other night. You know, for yelling at you." I whisper in his ear so that no one else can hear me. You never know when the Capitol is listening. The avox man just nods before bowing and quickly leaving the room.

I looked at the clothing and begin to wonder how I got to here from being a simple community home girl in 7. Not three days ago was I biting my nails because of the reaping between shifts at the lumber mill. What are the kids up to? Is Cossy accepting my death? Do they think Jaxx or I will win?

While my mind goes through a self-reflection, I put on the training clothes and go into the bathroom where a comb sits on the counter. Good thing my hair is straight because I've combed the hair of curly-haired girls at the home and they are have tears in their eyes when I'm done with them. By the time my hair is combed it is seven-thirty and I'm sure that Magenta wanted us to get to training early. I take a single deep breath before walking to the dining room, my hair blowing back because I'm walking so fast.

"Well look who decided to join us." says Zeke when I walk through the doorway, pouring syrup on his pancakes that are a green color. Ick.

Everyone was there, already eating their food. I took the last seat available, next to Liam and Jaxx. The avoxes immediately serve me orange juice, bacon, biscuits, and the green pancakes with syrup on the side.

"I think we should start talking about training." says Liam, rubbing his belly a bit. Even as a victor, you can't really get use to this much food. He must of gotten here earlier so he could mentor without having food in his mouth.

"What about it?" says Jaxx, scarfing biscuits into his mouth.

"Well what can you do?" Zeke says, finishing his last pancake. Are they good or something, because no one else has any left on their plate? Since Jaxx has biscuits in his mouth I decide to go first.

"Um, I've been lumberjacking so I can use an axe pretty good." I cut my pancakes as I explain this. Liam looks at me, obviously wanting for me to tell him more. I put my silverware down. "I can identify if most berries are poisonous or not if they are from the forest, a knife is no stranger to me, and I've made plenty of fires before." I finish up by shoving a pancake in my mouth, a wonderful taste exploding in my mouth. These aren't good, they are great! I eat more of them as Jaxx swallows the last of his biscuits and begins to explain his 'skills'.

"I'm strong," Jaxx begins before Magenta has to but in and comment on her favorite.

"That's good." Magenta smiles and lets him finish. I roll my eyes.

"And I know how to swim, can tie quite a few knots, and, like Isis, I can use a knife." Zeke seems satisfied with this answer but then again his mouth is bulging from all of the food so I can't really tell much.

"Alright," Liam says a few moments later. "Isis, you need to work on survival skills and Jaxx learn how to use a deadly weapon."

Liam seems a bit annoyed that Jaxx wasn't the lumberjack that about 90% of District 7 are. That's what he gets for being lazy, thinking his looks would get him a rich wife. Jaxx looks at me for a split second and I stick my tongue out at him. Magenta might be rethinking who her favorite is if she keeps seeing who the real Jaxx is, a handsome wimp.

"Do I use an axe?" I asks between the bacon I stuffed in my mouth.

"Well if you want the careers to be on your ass then go right ahead." says Zeke with a smug smile, obviously happy to see that I was wrong. Yeah, he's the perfect mentor for Jaxx because they are both dumbasses.

"Not if I pretend to suck at it!" I yell across the table, fed up with Zeke thinking he is better then me. Jaxx and him both are just so... annoying!

"That's not a bad idea, Isis." says Liam, his soft voice so different from my loud yell. "Yeah, try that. When you visit the gamemakers and get a good score nobody will know how you got it."

My face softens when I hear him say that. "You think I'll get a good score?"

"Well I wouldn't expect you to get a bad one if you are as good as you say you are." Liam sips the last of his milk and looks at me. If this victor thinks I can get a good score then maybe I have it in the bag. Then from there, it will have a domino effect on everything after that, I'll have a good interview outfit which will mean a good interview which means sponsors. Oh my gosh I have a shot in this, after all!

I finish my breakfast just when the clock says it is eight thirty. Magenta has been watching me the whole time so when I take the final sip of my orange juice, she tells me it is time to go. I wipe my mouth with my napkin and throw it on my plate just as she grabs my hand.

"We're late, kids." she says once we reach the elevator, her breath heavy from what she would probably call running when it is just taking big strides at a slow pace to me.

The elevator dings open and we all three walk in, the pair from Districts 9 and 12 already on the elevator. "Persei," Magenta nods her head at the 9 escort. "Bergwind," Magenta says her name in a mean way as if they dislike each other. I smile and look over to see the other kids smiling at the silent hatred going between Bergwind and Magenta.

When we get out of the elevator, I see that we are one of the last districts to arrive. Oh well maybe we were late. Jaxx immediately heads over to where the other tributes are at which happens to be circled around a woman. I follow him and once we are only inches apart I jog forward, purposely beating him to the other tributes.

"Really?" says Jaxx once he reaches me, rolling his eyes. I smile just as, District 11, the last pair of tributes to arrive, come out of the elevator. They take their place just as the woman begins to talk, all of our eyes on her.

"Hello, tributes, my name is Eta. In two weeks, 23 of you _will_ be dead. One of you will be alive." she begins. Way to be straight forward about it. "Who that is will be determined by how you pay attention to what I'm saying now. You will three days to train. We have weapons but don't forget about the survival skills. Just because you can throw a knife doesn't mean it will protect you from dehydration."she starts to go through the list of stations but I zone out because I can just figure that out on my own. "Alright, you may begin." she claps her hands together and walks off.

Jaxx heads off to the axes and I'm left alone, along with a few other tributes who had no one else to go to. Should I go do what Liam told me to do with the axe first? No, no one is watching me right now. Let's save that for later. I decide to head over to the edible plants area, despite that fact that I know plants well I still want insurance just in case.

The trainer sits up straight, happy to see that someone actually listened to the instructor and went for survival skills first. He, first, tells me all about these three plants and then test me on which is edible and which is poisonous. I breeze through it. Then he turns three plants into five, only going over the new ones. I pass every test until he gets to ten plants. The trainer smiles though and says that that is better then most people. After that he doesn't test me anymore and just asks me which plants I don't recognize. After about an hour later, I notice that others are starting to drift over to this station and since I prefer private training, I leave.

Surveying the training center, I see that Jaxx is talking to Tassel, Poise, Elvira, Cimber, and Marlene, the tributes from the career districts. Shit. Marlene meets my eyes and I quickly avert them away to the ground, not wanting them to approach me. When I allow my eyes to look up again, I see that the careers have headed over to the archery station, not concerned with me at all. Good.

The only stations that are empty are the knot-tying station and the fire-building station. Since I already know how to build a fire, I head over to the knot-tying station. The guy teaches me how to build a hammock first, saying we will move on to the more offensive knots later. Eventually, I make a hammock that could maybe hold a baby with seems satisfactory to him and we move on to making snares. By the end of the hour, I've learned how to trap a medium-sized animal and set a trap so that when a human steps on it they will by taken into a tree, a net surrounding their whole body. I'm not saying that it was perfection but I at least attempted them.

Now that everyone has gotten use to the stations, all of the stations have at least one person at them. I guess sharing won't be too hard to do. What could I learn to do? Liam said to focus on survival skills but what use is it to know to survive if you'll just get killed before you can put your knowledge to use. I decide to go over to the knife station where the girl from 1, Poise, was currently throwing knives right and left at moving targets.

The trainer didn't seem as happy as the other two when he saw he had yet another student who wanted to learn how to use a knife. He was one of the more popular weapon stations. The trainer was quite busy so just told me to try and throw the knife at a dummy. The trainer turns back to Finch, the girl from 11, who was having quite a bit of trouble with learning how to handle the knife properly. I grab a spare knife, the moist handle telling me that someone has already used this one, and line up with a dummy. It didn't have any legs, only a head and a chest, not even any arms. Poor guy, I've seen tributes who resembled him in the past years games. The knife is getting slicker in my hand so I wipe the handle on my shirt. By now, Poise is watching me out of the corner of her eye while grabbing some more knives. I'm sure they all fanned out to check out the competition before reporting back to each other. I ignore her and look at the dummy again. It's just like chopping down a tree, the blade hits the object and it gets wounded or dies. My hands line up with the chest of the dummy and I fling the knife forward. It flies and hits the very bottom of the dummy, the handle going up and down. Well at least it stuck in but I was off of my target by at least a foot. Poise snickers behind me and I so badly want to turn around to shoot her an evil eye but I know I'll die in the bloodbath if I do that so I just bite my tongue and grab another knife.

"You have to flick your wrist." says a voice from behind me. I don't turn around but I sense the figure walking up behind me. "You used your whole hand but all you have to do is flick your wrist forward." the voice is obviously an older male's and he is right beside of me now so I allow my eyes to dart to the side.

Standing beside of me is Jaspe, the tall boy from District 8. I'd thought that he had a small chance of winning during the reaping but now that we are in person, I see that he is as wide as a door. Maybe he'll even get into the career pack with muscles like that. He grabs a knife and lines up at the dummy next to mine before flicking his wrist, sending the knife rocketing towards the dummy. It hits the dummy right in it's forehead.

"Have you done this before?" I say, straightening my back, not use to feeling short. Jaspe had to be, at least, 6'4.

"No, but the instructor taught me quite a bit about it because I was the first one in this station this morning." Jaspe is looking at me and I realize that he wants me to try out the new technique.

I line up with the dummy, carefully aiming at the dummies head, and let all of the other noise in the training center fade away. I flick my wrist and just before releasing the knife I squeeze my eyes shut. A low thump noise comes a few seconds later and my eyes creep open. Sticking out of the dummies neck is the knife. It was only a couple of inches away from my target.

"Much better," comments Jaspe before grabbing two more knifes, handing one to me. We continue to practice side by side until Eta announces that it is time for lunch.

When I get my food and head off to see where I can get a seat, I see that I might have to sit alone. I've only talked to Jaxx but he is sitting with the careers, Tuscan is sitting alone and I'd not call us friends, and Jaspe is sitting with his district partner. If I'm going to sit with anyone it would be Jaspe because he taught me how to throw knives and that skill will be invaluable in the arena so I head over to his table.

"Can I sit here?" I asks cautiously.

"Sure," Jaspe says casually as if he expected it.

I take a seat across from Jaspe and his district partner, a small girl that seems to shrink whenever people are near. Jaspe tells me her name is Althea and she is 14 years old. That's when I realize that Jaspe, like me, sympathizes with the little children. I mostly do it because of the flower children at home but I guess Jaspe has some other reason to protect little Althea.

"What have you been training in?" asks Althea, her voice strong. She either didn't know that we sympathizes with her or knew and wanted to prove she didn't need it..

"Survival skills, mostly, and knife-throwing which Jaspe helped me with." I say, biting into my last chicken leg.

"Oh, really?" Althea raises an eyebrow at Jaspe. "I never knew Jaspe was good at throwing knifes. Tell us about it, Jaspe." She puts one elbow on the table, resting her head against it, and pretends to be interested in his answer. I smile as Jaspe explains that he happens to take direction well and that she should learn from him.

Lunch ends soon after and I decide to spend my time with Jaspe and Althea, seeing as they could be possible allies in the arena. We all decide to work with survival and go to fire-building first. Both of them seem to have some trouble with making fire using a match while I'm excelling at making one with flint. I decide to help them which takes up quite a bit of time but ends up being worth it because later in climbing, Jaspe tells me how to see if certain rocks will advance me further up the rock. At the end of the day, I feel accomplished and actually happy that making friends isn't really that hard.

**I made this chapter extra-long so maybe reviewing would make this the regular amount? It would make my day.**


	8. Score!

**Warning F-bomb said below.**

**Scores**

"It's a bit heavy," I lie to the instructor who has no idea what he has gotten himself into.

I've been working with the axes for only thirty seconds and already the instructor is looking distressed. I've pretended the axes were too heavy by dropping them on the ground and this has caused the tributes around me to look my way. The careers would have to eventually look and the only flaw in my plan is that Jaxx knows I'm faking when I say the axe is too heavy. Let's just hope that he has the decency to keep it to himself.

"Here, this is the lightest one we have."the instructor sounds a bit annoyed.

He hands me the axe that must be twice as thin as the ones we use at home and when I hold it with one hand it isn't a struggle at all. If I pretend to suck at holding this axe up then I'm just being pathetic.

"I guess this will work for me." I sound timid and scared that if it doesn't work for me then I've failed. It's kinda fun to pretend to be a baby.

The instructor tells me to try and chop a dummies head off, loud enough for the people behind me to hear. I head over to the dummy, letting the axe make my arm sag a bit, and try to make my mind busy with thoughts of nonsense. Like, what if I mess up? Or, can I really do this? So that I can really get into character. I lift the axe and hold the blade to the dummies neck, as if I'm aiming, and pull it back. The instructor sucks in a breath and I swing it down, slowing it down at the last second when I remember that I can't appear strong. The axe does hit the dummy but in the stomach and only goes halfway through. Perfection.

Some snickers come from behind me and I don't even have to look to know that the careers saw the whole thing. When I look up though, I see that the gamemakers were also watching. Shit, not the attention I wanted. I'll have to be good in the gamemaker session if I want to get that good score because they say that your score is based on all _three _days of training.

After that, I decide to be a little better by throwing the axe at a dummy so that it hit the dummies chest. That may sound good but the instructor had told me to hit it's head but at least it didn't fall to the ground before reaching the dummy like my original plan had been. No one snickers but I know that they aren't impressed much that I managed to have a 'lucky shot'. After ten more minutes of unsuccessful axe training, I leave.

"What was that?" comments Jaspe, running up from the line. He was suppose to practice with the axe but I guess he couldn't resist teasing me on my bad axe skills.

"I guess the axe isn't my weapon." I shrug and walk towards the camouflage station.

Althea jogs up, also abandoning her place in line, and stands between Jaspe and me. She barely catches the last of Jaspe's comment and says "But your from 7! I heard that you all can chop down a tree before getting into school."

She was right. I chopped down my first tree at the age of four. It was this rather thin tree that was blocking one of the windows outside of the girl's dorm. The day after that problem arose, I managed to get a lumberjack to lend me his axe everyday after his shift and for two hours I'd work on chopping that tree down. It came down on the fourth day and I felt so proud of myself. It really was a shame when the tree fell into the window, breaking it and scaring all of the girls.

"We don't all turn into lumberjacks, Althea." I try to sound casual because I don't want anyone to know about my abilities with the axe. Althea looks me over and just sighs, obviously not wanting to argue with me anymore about my lack of axe skills. I sigh in relief.

Jaspe, Althea, and I decide to stick together for the rest of the day. We work with edible insects which Althea finds disgusting and hurries off to the edible plants while we are finishing up. Since we had made Althea nearly vomit, she got to choose our next station which was fishing.

"Now who has successfully made a hook?" asks the instructor, sounding inexperienced from the lack of tributes. He must be new or people just don't care about fishing.

"I think mine is done." I say uncertainly, mad that I couldn't do this correctly when Jaspe and Althea already think I'm weak from my axe training.

The instructor takes my hook and smiles a bit. He tells me it is almost done and then shows me the last step. At least my hook wasn't majorly messed up. Jaspe and Althea look over at mine and Jaspe eventually gets it but Althea has to have the instructor tell her the rest.

We all learn how to make a fishing pole when it is time for lunch. Jaspe, Althea, and I sit together as usual. Around the cafeteria, I see that people are beginning to sit together and not alone. Alliances are forming rather quickly in these games. Will I stick will Jaspe and Althea? Will I risk having to watch them die or let them kill me? Maybe it would just be better if I went through this alone. All I will see is their faces in the sky, not the bloody death that comes before.

We finish lunch way too soon and I stuff my face with my last biscuit before leaving the room. I can't afford to starve in the arena and if putting on some weight means my survival then I don't care if people call me the 'fat girl' because it'll all be gone within a couple of days, if I live that long.

The last few hours of training goes by in a blur but that's mostly because Jaspe and Althea are going to the stations that I've already went to before we met each other. Before long, Magenta is walking into the training center and taking Jaxx and I into the elevator.

"Jaxx," I greet him but put a lot of venom into my voice. He had joined the careers, the worst thing one from 7 could do. 7 had joined the careers in the past, because of our axe skills, but he has no axe skills so he had went up to _them_ to join.

"No one likes a jealous person, Isis." he puts venom into his voice when he says my name as well. It's not like I was expecting him to smile and give me a hug or some crap like that but he didn't have to say I was jealous.

Careers are the most vile things on this planet and I've yet to see a nice one enter the games. Why? Because the mean ones are always volunteering to die! Now Jaxx has joined them and I bet that Zeke or Magenta encouraged it because both of them think he is a prince. Liam is the only one who thinks I'm better but he might just be doing that because he is _my_ mentor.

"Stop it you two." Magenta snaps because she could see that I was about to yell some foul words at him. He deserved it and the only one who knows that is me! Damn you both!

We reach floor 7 in a matter of seconds and I storm out of it. Magenta calls after me which causes me to run even faster. I don't want to be near these people anymore. It's cruel enough for us to have to kill each other but to make everyone around you act as though this is normal makes me sick. I can't handle this anymore without someone to back me up.

That's why I stop running when I reach the room that belongs to "Liam," I'm breathing heavily from all of the running.

"Hey, kid. What do you want?" he doesn't sound bored to see me. I'd say he was even happy to see me. If I was a mentor and all I did was wait for my tributes to die then I'd probably be happy to do anything too.

"I need direction." I say without thinking. Direction? Why do I need direction? Do I mean strategy?

"Here, sit down." Liam pats his bed and I sit down, happy to rest for a few seconds. "So far, you've done well as a tribute. Your not the favorite yet, though."

"I know that."

"Good, we don't want you to get arrogant. It's not endearing and sponsors will be turned off by you. Just show them all you got in the private session tomorrow. Don't go half-ass and get a 6, I want to be blown away. Jaxx won't have anything but his personality and personality can't get you very far in this game. Isis, you have everything that 7 represents. Just go out there and show them that we are fighters." he smiles and I smile as well even though I'm shaking.

He really expects this much of me? Either he has very high standards or he believes I'm this good. I really hope it is the latter. Liam says that he'll stop being all sappy and asks me about possible alliances.

"District 8," I hesitate before saying. "Both of them." Liam looks neutral. He is probably happy about Jaspe but Althea isn't exactly the best catch. Jaspe won't abandon her though so it would be stupid not to.

"I'll talk to their mentor, we've been buddies for a while. Anyone else?"

"Not really,"

"Ok, well it's time for dinner."

"How do you know?"

"Time for dinner!" chimes in Magenta before losing her happy Capitol voice when she sees me. Mentoring is a place where she doesn't belong and she knows it so she scurries off.

Liam and I walk to dinner together where no one else has arrived yet. She purposely invites me to dinner later then the others! That ugh I don't even have the time!

Liam and I sit down as the others start to walk in one-by-one. Jaxx is the last to arrive and I smile.

"Look who decided to show up." I sneer as the avoxes set down our food. Jaxx's face gets red and he plops down next to Magenta who pats his leg. God, I hate her.

We all eat in silence and it soon gets apparent that it is real. Once Jaxx and I get onto that hovercraft, only one or none of us will come back. It's not possible for Magenta and Liam both to get their way. I'm rooting for Liam's way, personally. Liam is the first to finish eating and he starts talking.

"Isis," I look up from my noodles, "Jaxx," Jaxx does the same as me. "You two are going into the private session tomorrow. No more holding back, Isis. Jaxx.." Liam hesitates, trying to think of something to say. "Just do something useful." he gets up and leaves.

The next morning arrives quickly and I had made sure that my sleep had been long. Magenta had slipped Jaxx some sleeping drugs from the cabinet after dinner so I had done the same. The avox man woke me up early, probably knowing about Magenta wanting me to be late, and gives me freshly cleaned training clothes. I change quickly, eat a quick breakfast, and head down to the training center.

Jaxx and I take a seat next to each other when we reach the room where we will wait until our name is called. Jaxx nods his head at the careers as the last tributes file in, filling the empty seats. One by one, people are called in, their faces ranging from happiness to fear.

After exactly three hours, Jaxx is called in. He seems a bit unsure of himself and a part of me wants to smile. He has gotten this far but when his face appears on the television screen tonight he will see that beauty isn't everything.

"Good luck," Jaspe says from behind me, putting his hand on my shoulder. I jump a bit when he touches me but quickly relax and say.

"Thanks... You too." I reluctantly say, knowing that if he scores higher then me then he'll probably get more sponsors.

"Isis Swift." the robotic voice says over a speaker and I stand up, my legs shaking. How do you prepare for this? You only do it once so it's not like you can practice!

A loud buzzing comes into my ears as I walk towards the doors. It's like a million bugs are swarming towards me and are about to attack. It gets louder and louder as my feet get closer to the door. When my slender fingers wrap around the door handle the bugs go wild and consume every thought in my mind. My hands pull the door open and the whole world goes silent.

The gamemakers are paying mild attention to me but I know that the careers got every bit of the attention when they came out. The head gamemaker sits up straighter in her chair and the others soon follow when I step into the middle of the room.

"Isis Swift, District 7." I say, gulping afterwords because of the utter silence in the room.

I decide to start off strong and grab the two axes sitting against the wall. From the way the axes were tilted sideways I could tell that someone else had already used them.

The gamemakers make small noises behind me, shuffling feet, shifting in their chairs, or a small cough. I must be one of the last tributes that they all will pay attention too because the scores get lower around District 9 or so, depending on the amount of alcohol the avoxes give them.

I go right in front of a dummy and don't hesitate when I chop it in half, a diagonal line cutting through it's abdomen. The gamemakers move in their seats, most of them sitting up straighter. I back up about twenty feet and train my eyes on the dummies head. I chop better with axes then throwing them but I can do it. I line up with a new dummy and take a deep breath. The first axe I throw cuts the dummies head in half and the second makes a gaping hole in the dummies stomach. I leave the axes and head over to the knifes.

Jaspe had told me to flick my wrist so that is what I do. Out of the six knifes I threw, four of them hit the dummies head and the other two flew downwards and hit the dummies neck. It wasn't my best but at least none of them clattered to the floor.

Since, I've only done weapons I decide to go to the fishing station. I'm careful before choosing that station though because if I pick a station I didn't excel in then it won't impress the gamemakers at all, making my score decrease. I manage to make an acceptable fishing pole just when they tell me I've been dismissed.

"T-thank you." I stutter before walking out the door. I didn't know if I should have said that or not but it feels like I should thank them. Not for killing children but for actually paying attention to me.

I make it about five steps out into the hallway when I notice Liam standing next to the elevator, leaning against the glass door. He'd fall backwards if the elevator decided to open.

"Magenta wanted to take Jaxx so I've come to be your 'escort'." Liam sounds bored and I just nod. It wasn't like I expected Magenta to cheer and give me a hug or something. Besides, Liam is way better then that Capitolite.

"How did you do?" asks Liam, genuinely interested. We get onto the elevator and the door shuts.

"I don't know. I guess we'll see tonight." I shrug just as the elevator opens and we enter the room.

Dinner comes quickly and it finishes just as fast. We are all too excited and anxious about the scores to really discuss anything. Jaxx does manage to act cocky saying that the gamemakers couldn't believe their eyes when he walked out. Asshole.

"It's on! Come on Jaxx!" Magenta plops onto the couch, patting beside of her so that Jaxx knows where to sit.

I manage to find a seat next to Liam and Zeke just when the Capitol seal comes on, the anthem playing. It fades away to reveal the face of Caesar Flickerman.

Caesar was the new announcer and he was already a huge hit. He began only a couple of years ago but he acted like he had been doing this for most of his life. Lately, he is being known for his every changing alterations and dyes. This year he is a metallic gold color which made his tan skin look even darker.

Tassel gets a 9 and Poise an 8. Jaxx is grinning happily as he sees that his allies are doing well. _Just wait until your face shows up buddy _I think. Cimber gets a 10 which makes me cringe inside while little Elvira gets a 10 as well. She really was a career prodigy. Marlene, the beauty from 4, got an 8 which was good but she is obviously not brute strength through and through. District 5 is of average scores and Tuscan from 6 got a 3. Everyone sighs except for the demon Jaxx. Speaking of him, he got the lovely score of 7.

"Ha!" I yell a little too loud but he deserves it.

He shouldn't have acted so cocky but now he has the lowest score of all of the careers. Magenta looks like she is about to cry so I shut up and look at the television.

"Isis Swift with a score of...9." Caesar says.

The reaction is immediate. Liam and I jump up, cheering loudly. A 9! A 9! I got a freaking 9! Jaxx and Magenta storm off, obviously mad that I got a good score. I cheer loudly, obviously way too happy for my own good. Everyone at the home will love this!

Zeke shushes us, obviously not giving a damn about Jaxx.

I notice Jaspe's face on the screen. Jaspe got a 9 as well. Oh my god! We both did so well. My mood is instantly soured though when Althea gets a 4. Poor girl. I sure hope this doesn't crush her too bad. A cry comes from above and I know that she is brokenhearted. A bad score means that they don't think she'll win.

The last person I notice on the screen before going to my room was Finch, the girl from 11. She got a 10. The room goes silent as we all stare at her smirking dark face.

"Fuck," I say, drawing the word out.

"Damn right," Liam and Zeke say at the same time. Looks as though we have some competition because she didn't have people paying attention to her and she got that. Damn, she made my 9 look pathetic.

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Whatever it is, tell me! Oh and thank you so much to my two reviewers, HungerGamesGirl98 and BR2607! Thank you so much, you made my day!**


	9. Interviews

**Interviews**

"Get up," a deep voice says from far away. I'd had yet another dreamless sleep so my eyes snap open immediately to meet Liam's brown ones. Mentoring day.

"Yeah, yeah, strategy." I wave my hand so that he won't waste the time of explaining everything to me. The interview is tomorrow and after last night's good new I feel as though nothing can sour my mood, not even the fact that all of Panem will watch me on live television tomorrow.

"Well since you know everything about the Hunger Games do you know what your going to be doing for the interview?" he leans against the wall with a smug smile on his face.

I get out of bed and wrap a robe around myself. I may be dressed in a nightgown but that doesn't mean I won't cover myself. Enough people have already seen me naked. "Answering questions," I sneer, tightening the robe.

Liam pinches the crease between his eyebrows and sits on my bed. I take a seat next to him and look at him, waiting to be mentored. "That's what everyone is doing. I mean do you want to go for funny? Endearing? Bloodthirsty?" Liam looks me up and down, "Sexy?"

"Gross, Liam. I never took you as the pervert type."

"I'm joking."

"Whatever."

"So?"

"So what?"

"What do you want to act like?"

"Me,"

"Well who is Isis Swift?"

"Me,"

"No, describe yourself in one word."

"Um,"

"Right," Liam gets up and paces a bit, putting his hand on his chin as if he was thinking. "We have to confine all of this," he gestures to all of me, "Into one word."

"Well, I'm not exactly funny. Or bloodthirsty, or endearing, or sexy." I make a face and he snaps his fingers.

"Honest. You're honest! Be the honest, humble girl. Act like a 9 isn't even that special. Maybe you won't change too much." he mumbles the last part but I catch it. I've seen victors change and I really don't want to if I become one of them.

"Honest?" I stand up as well. "If I speak my mind then I'll just be pissing all over any chance of getting sponsors."

"No cussing either. That's not good for presentation. Here, let's practice." Liam sits down on my bed and crosses his leg, just like Caesar does. "So Isis, tell me, what has impressed you the most about the Capitol?"

"It's just a more polished District 7 really. Except more evil covered in colorful alterations." I honestly say, taking a seat next to him.

"What! That's crazy!" Liam is smiling even though my answer was probably not ideal. "Not honest in a mean way. Just be neutral." he asks me the question again, a smile on his face.

I put on a fake smile and sit up straighter. "I just love everything. It's so lovely and I just can't pick a favorite!" I gush with a fake smile. It was painful to say too.

"Bleck. Makes me want to barf. Just," Liam runs a rough hand through his hand and ponders on my interview angle some more.

"Just wing it?" I suggest. "Here, ask it again." Liam asks it again, no longer acting like Caesar. I smile weakly, as usual, and sit up only a little bit. I still feel like me. "The food. I've tasted these pancakes that were green. They look so gross for something so good."

Liam goes from frustrated to happy within seconds. He obviously likes me winging it. I didn't lie but I didn't say everything I wanted about the Capitol. I've just kept my secrets and told the ones that are worth telling.

Over the next few hours we practice the interview. I get tired after a while and just lay down on my bed to answer them. The questions get a little harder to answer once we get to the home and the children. I didn't lie though and Liam didn't seem displeased with my answer. Maybe Caesar won't ask about my family.

Eventually, we get hungry. The avoxes served us, of course, even though we were the only two eating. The others probably ate breakfast but I wasn't very hungry this morning and brunch is way better anyways. Around noon, Magenta comes to get me.

"Alright, Liam, go back to your room. Isis is all mine right now." Magenta shoos him away and sits down next to me at the table. I ignore her and try to finish the green pancakes that I specifically ordered. "Isis," I didn't look up from my plate, "Isis, look at me."

"What?" My voice is harsh but she deserves it. After the way she treated me like crap while Jaxx got everything was way unfair. I don't forgive easily so she better get this right. I'm sure last nights score's show that Jaxx is average and I'm above average, the complete opposite of what magenta saw us as.

"Maybe I was a little hard on you. It's just that I saw Jaxx as the stronger of the two of you but now I see that I've made it worse. He doesn't need my comfort, they'll just get him killed. Could you let us start over and we can see where it goes? Please." Magenta sounds like a lost puppy, not knowing what to do.

"Fine," I growl a bit and take the last bite of my pancakes.

"Ok, well I'll be teaching you presentation today." Magenta cheers, her voice much happier. I guess that one word meant that we were best friends or some crap like that. I'm still mad at her though so she'll have to really do something to change my mind.

"What's wrong with my presentation?" I asks rather defensively.

"Just stand up." Magenta gets out of her chair and I do as well because I've just finished my food. "Stand up straight," Magenta lifts my slouched shoulders up and back, "Chin up," She lifts my chin with her pointer finger, "And put your legs together." I do and she says that I almost look lady-like. Gross.

For the next hour, probably, we work on walking. About thirty minutes in she gives me six inch heels. I put them on and I instantly hate them. Who the hell wears these? I've never needed to look taller because I'm already uncomfortable enough being taller then some of the boys in my grade. I swear my parents were giants.

"Your taller then me, Isis." Magenta squeals when I've walked up to her. She lifts up her foot and turns it sideways to show the tall heels she was wearing. She would be around 5'5 if it wasn't for the heels.

We finish with that after an eternity and she tells me that we can stop with the heels. I quickly yank the monsters off, throw them into the darkest corner of the room, and rub my aching feet. Magenta starts freaking out when I touch my feet and tells me, "That's awful! They teach you to do that in 7? No lady touches her feet in front of someone!" Magenta is appalled and I just sit in the dining chair again, enjoying the show.

After Magenta stops gagging, we work on how to sit in a chair properly. I asks her though, "Why in the hell do we have to practice sitting?" this instantly turns into a language is not lady-like lecture and I really just zone out for the rest of the lecture. She finishes and tells me to sit.

I sit in the chair, shoulders un-slouched, and she hates it. I have to cross my legs but at the ankles and lean them towards the right while I'm sitting up straight. That makes my back hurt and I tell her so and all she says is "So?"

"Your still teaching?" asks Zeke when he comes into the room. I look up at the clock and see that it is only ten minutes until dinner.

"Magenta," I whine. Why had she kept me here for so long? If she wasn't such a lecturer maybe I would have been done two hours ago as I was scheduled to be.

"Sorry, you just had a lot of problems that we had to deal with." Magenta shrugs as if she doesn't mean a word of it.

I storm out of the dining room and head into my room to change into decent clothes. Sitting on my bed is my outfit and from the looks of it, it has been here a while. Damn Magenta and her damn lady-like requirements. I change quickly and beat everyone to dinner except for the mentors.

"So, how was training with Magenta?" Liam asks. A smile is lingering under that blank expression of his and I see that Zeke is cracking up. Zeke had told Liam all about my presentation problems having to be fixed. I'm sure they hadn't seen anyone use six hours just learning to walk, sit, and stand.

"Haha, assholes." I cross my arms and lean back in my chair.

I'm so glad that Magenta didn't walk in when I cussed at them. What? You think I learned from her? I'm now going to purposely slouch my shoulders but only when she is around or looking. At the interview, I'll take her tips into mind but Liam said to wing it so I will. I know he didn't mean that but he should have been more specific.

They all tease me some more until Magenta walks in, Jaxx following closely bheind. I guess Magenta isn't paying him as much attention as she use to, him getting a 7 and all. 7 isn't a bad score but it is the worse one in the career pack. He has just proved to them that he really isn't that special at all.

We all eat dinner, quietly. We will be herded into prepping tomorrow as soon as our eyes open. My legs have barely got any stubble and I know that they'll want to wax me yet again. It's just a torture device, really, not a beauty product. I wonder if they waxed Jaxx?

"Does everyone have their interview angle?" asks Magenta, putting a neatly cut chicken piece into her mouth.

"I'm going to be charming." Jaxx says rather weakly. Maybe he knows that he has a lesser chance of winning now. It's too bad that I don't feel sorry for him.

"Isis?" Magenta says and I realize that I don't technically have an angle.

"Just winging it." I shrug as if I'm talking about the weather.

"Well, that's alright, I guess." Magenta looks over at Liam who doesn't really notice her surprise.

The rest of dinner goes by quickly and I find myself watching Capitol TV. It's mostly about Hunger Games or past Hunger Games. Caesar is as flamboyant as ever and Magenta babbles to me about how she met him one time. Eventually, it gets boring and I go to bed.

When I awake, a pair of violet eyes are staring at me. I jump which makes my prep team laugh. The violet eyes belonged to Mizar who was leaning over me. The twins, Kern and Atlas, are standing in the doorway.

I stand up to change clothes and Mizar exclaims, "We don't have time for that! Besides you won't be wearing those for long."

She smiles and I'm immediately escorted to the remake center. They all start setting up their supplies as if this is an operation room and I'm a dying patient. While they get ready, I strip down to nothing but my undergarments and put on the robe before taking everything else off. I didn't get naked until the robe covered me. It took me all night to come up with that but none of them looked displeased when they saw what I had done. Maybe they are just use to me being too stubborn to undress for them.

The torture immediately begins with softening my skin. This process is short but it does feel rather good. The robe comes off after they lotioned everything except for what the robe covers. They finish quickly and my muscles are relaxed by the end of it. I decide to shut my eyes and they have at it, waxing me.

Isis," Volumnia says. I open my eyes to see Volumnia standing over me, her eyebrows knitted together. "Did you fall asleep?"

"No, I just shut my eyes for a while." I say, hoping that what I just said wasn't a lie. I don't really remember them dolling me up but I don't remember falling asleep.

Volumnia sighs and tells me to put my robe. When I stand up to get it, I find that my skin is hairless and soft. Crap. I've turned plush. I put the robe on, trying to maintain my tomboy demeanor but it's hard to be a boy when your hair is in two braids and your nails are covered in tree designs.

"Congratulations on your score. I must say, I was shocked." Volumnia says, looking around the room trying to find something.

"Surprised that I did so good? Oh and thanks, I think?" I watch her walk around the room for a minute. She was bending over looking for something. "Whatcha looking for?"

"Your dress. I put it-Ah!" she picks up a plastic bag with a dress inside.

"Tree?"

"Nope,"

"What then?"

"Lumberjack!"

You mean, lumberjill."

"Brilliant!"

She unzips the bag and pulls out a red and white plaid dress that will probably go a little past my knees, flaring out at the bottom. It looks like a picnic table at first but once I get past the pattern, I see that it is decorated with buttons, pockets, and other things I can't even name. It seems like a good outfit but from the looks of it, the outfit looks like it goes for the more innocent little kids then a 16 year old girl.

"Isn't it a little... young for me?" I asks Volumnia who is smiling.

"This is just a thought but I'm doing it. What if we make you seem weak. You could appear like this little girl and be oblivious to the fact that you got a 9. Act as though it is a little frightening to go into the arena. Your contenders will be so confused by you that you'll surprise them all! You sure surprised me with that 9 because when you walked in, I saw this skinny girl but that 9 shocked the Capitol. We all thought you were nothing special until you proved your worth. Now go shock them again!"

I'm at a lost for words. They all really thought I was nothing special? They looked down on me! It's just like the Capitol to judge someone from their appearance. Wait. Maybe Volumnia is right. I could shock them all. They all won't know where I came from because my 9 wasn't the highest score but it was high for someone from 7. We usually get 7's but since Jaspe had taught me about knives I got a 9. I've got an advantage over them and I could use that to my advantage.

"Brilliant. That idea is the best one I've heard. Oh and thanks for the outfit." I smile happily just to make Volumnia happy.

A couple of hours later, the prep team is adding the finishing touches to my outfit. The red and white plaid shoes they had given me were two inch platforms which means they are heels but are much easier to walk in. The original ones had been four inches but since they got a taller tribute they reduced it to two inches. I'm probably about 5'9 right now.

"Pin those stray hairs down, Atlas." orders Mizar who was freaking out because somheow the dress had messed up my hair when Volumnia put it on. My hair looked fine to me but they are the experts, or so they say.

"Alright she's good." barks Volumnia who knows that I could be late if they are wanting to make me perfect. I'm good enough and my angle should be what they remember, not my outfit. We start to walk a bit faster until she manages to squeeze me in line, in front of Jaxx and bheind Tuscan.

I turn around, saying bye to Volumnia, when I notice Jaxx's outfit. He was a lumberjack and he even had some stubble on his chin. He had some last night at dinner too but now the hair was even longer. Jaxx, for the first time in his life, looked like an actual lumberjack.

"Well look who decided to become a lumberjack." I say, looking him up and down with my right hand on my hip.

"At least I look like a man. You look like you're a child." his voice has some anger in it but I can hear how defeated he is that I scored higher.

"Baby," I mumble before turning around.

The last of the tributes arrive just as officials come by to see that we are in district order with the females in front. They zip by like bees and I realize that this is all a hive. President Snow is their queen or king and everyone else are the worker bees, forced to do his bidding. _Buzz, buzz, buzz bees_ I think as they all zip by me. We get a thumbs up and begin to walk towards our seats. It is very bright from all of the lights and I see that some of the Capitol people have brought cloths to wipe the sweat off their brow. The curtains are closed and still the lights shining on the audience are bright enough to make me squint. The noise as well is like the buzzing of bees. They are the worker bees as well but they do it without knowing it. Buying all of their alterations and speaking in their accents just promotes the Capitol even more. Despicable.

I take my seat next to Tuscan and Jaxx just as the curtain opens. Caesar is sitting in his chair, the lights blacked out so you can only see his figure. The announcer introduces him and Caesar gets up to greet himself. He opens with a few jokes which makes the crowd burst out laughing and I even laugh once which earns me a glare from Jaxx. Yet again, I learn that you can't be happy in the Hunger Games. It's against the unspoken rules, apparently.

He starts with Poise and I pay attention but not as much as Jaxx who seems to be very interested. A little too interested. The gleam in his eye means that she is his favorite. That's why he joined the careers! He's a lovesick puppy! Ironically, Poise goes for the sexy and dangerous angle which earns her some wolf whistles from Jaxx and a few of the other men in the crowd. Gross. How dare she offer herself to their perverted mercy?

Tassel goes for arrogant, cocky, and ready to fight. Elvira and Cimber are intelligent and bloodthirsty. My money would be on Cimber because even though Elvira is a prodigy she is still the youngest career. Marlene goes for flirty and cute which surprises me because she never does anything to reveal herself to the crowd or anything. 5 blurs past because of the girl crying and the boy acting bored. Tuscan is called and I mildly pay attention as he goes for the sappy angle, explaining his difficult home life and all. I feel sorry for him but this angle has been so many times it's just pathetic now.

"Isis Swift!" Caesar yells out and I cautiously get up, worrying about tripping on my heels.

I manage to get on the stage when I see Caesar smiling, holding his hand out to me. From up here, I can see the thousands of Capitol people watching my every move, watching for any mistake that could cost my life.

"Hello Caesar." I simply say, taking a seat on the circular chair. It looked more comfortable on TV.

"Isis, tell me, what has impressed you the most in the Capitol?" Caesar wastes no time and jumps right in. This questions wasn't anything special, being asked every other tribute. I took a deep breath, as if I need to prepare myself.

"I know this is so common but the food. When I got onto the train, after the reaping, the tables looked as colorful as this audience." I gestured to the crowd, "But once you get past the colors it can actually be quite good." I lean back in my chair as a few laughs come from the crowd. This is easy. It's just him asking about me and I've lived with me for 16 years so I should know all about me.

"Yes, our food really is good. When I first arrived, my pants size grew within two days!" Caesar acts shocked and I laugh along with the audience as he acts horrified of the memory.

"That's a lovely outfit, Isis." comments Caesar, trying to steer the conversation back to me.

"Yeah, my stylist thought I could be a lumberjill." I smile and try not to act cocky.

"A lumber what?" Caesar raises his eyebrow and I remember that he doesn't know the District 7 slang. I explain that that is what the women lumberjacks like to call ourselves and the crowd laughs as he comments on the District 7 twang and charm. I guess they like to tease us districts.

"Now, I hear you live in the community home, Isis. What is life like there?" Caesar's voice got all serious and I quickly lose the small smile that has been on my face the entire time.

I look out into the crowd and see the audience. They are all staring at me, seeing if I'll break down. They've all heard of the community home and how we have less then the others in my District. Maybe I could change all that. I look back at Caesar, who is patiently waiting for my answer.

"I love it." I begin, Caesar instantly relaxing, "We're all one big, huge family. There is about thirty of us and we love to tease each other a lot. I'm not sure why, but a lot of our younger children are named after flowers. Us older kids like to call them the 'flower children'. It's silly, I know, but it's been going on for years so I just go along with it. We don't have the best conditions to live in but it's made us tough. We-we've never had much luxury but we really don't need it. The entertainment happens all around me everyday and it's all worth it." I take a breath and look directly at the camera in front of me, "I, personally, think it is better then any home anyone else can offer me."

"That's good to hear, Isis I'm really happy that you're surrounded by such wonderful people back home." Caesar says and I quietly thank him. I half expected him to call my bluff and start talking about the rumors going around the Capitol about us being 'dirty' or something.

"Now, let's go on to your training score. You got a 9! That's wonderful." Caesar likes to talk with his hands, I can tell because he has a hand signal for almost every word he says. It's much easier to understand him that way as well.

"I couldn't believe it at first either. I thought for sure that I would get an awful score. That 9 was … beneficial to my survival. I just really hope that I can live up to all of your expectations." I say the last part to the crowd who is clapping and cheering for me. I sure hope that was good enough.

"We're almost out of time, Isis, so I'll ask you a final question. What makes you so different from the other tributes that you have a shot at becoming a victor?" Caesar leans in and says all of the words slowly.

I intake a breath of air and slow down my fast-paced mind, trying to find anything that makes me special. "I know what it's like to live life day-by-day. I've seen humans be pushed to the edge and they will do anything to survive. I know how to survive Caesar and I can guarantee that you haven't seen the last of me." The buzzer rings, Caesar yells my name to the crowd, and I take my seat just as Jaxx takes his next to Caesar.

"Nice job," someone says and I see Jaspe looking at me.

"Thanks," I say with a smile.

He leans back into his chair and I'm just about to pay attention to Jaxx when I see Althea. Her skin is as pale as pearls and her eyes are wide, her hands clawing into her skin. She's nervous beyond belief. I'm just about to ask her whats wrong until I see that she clearly won't respond.

"Jaspe, what's up with Althea?"

"Her mentor told her to try for determined and she doesn't think she can do that."

"Get her for me."

Jaspe turns to Althea, pokes her pale shoulder, and points at me, whispering something in her ear. Althea turns towards me and Jaspe leans back into his chair so that we can talk to each other as privately as possible.

"It's ok. Don't be nervous. Here, don't listen to your mentor. Be honest ok because if you're not then you'll regret it." I say quickly, hoping no one sees us talking to each other. Althea simply nods, her skin regaining slight color, and turns to look at Caesar.

I look up at Jaxx to see that Caesar is asking his final question. Damn, I missed the majority of it. "Why do you think you can win, Jaxx?"

"I'm here, I'm going to play, and I won't quit until I win. District 7!" Jaxx roars the last part which riles the crowd up. The cheering gets so loud that I plug my ears until Jaxx gets back into his seat.

Once he is settled, I say, "You do realize that you just cheered for both of us correct? Not just yourself."

"Maybe that was my intention." Jaxx says and turns away, obviously wanting to shut the conversation down before I start questioning him.

Does he mean to say that he doesn't want me to die? He must have been going for the selfless angle as well by saying that no matter who wins that if it is someone from 7 then he'll be happy because that will feed our district. Right?

Jaspe begins his interview and his angle is as clear to see as the night sky above. Jaspe went for kind and humble. All of his answers were spoken in a soft voice and the crowd says 'aww' a lot. He even makes me think he is harmless. That is until I remember his 9 in training and I know it is an act. He may be kind but Jaspe isn't harmless. Jaspe finishes off with a quiet goodbye and Althea gets up but I stop her for a second when she passes me.

"It'll be fine, I promise." I whisper and she nods before quickly walking away. I sure hope the cameras didn't see that.

Surprisingly, Althea instantly connects with Caesar. She answers the questions with short answers at first but on the last two she gives detailed descriptions. She talks of her home life and her many siblings who she describes individually. Somehow, she dominates the conversation and keeps talking and talking until the buzzer rings. I'd clapped for every answer even if most of the other people didn't. She has to be supported. When she walks past she winks before taking her seat.

Districts 9 and 10 had shyer tributes so they flew by but when Finch, the girl from 11, took the stage we all leaned forward in our seats. We all wanted to hear what the girl from 11 had to say. After her getting such a high score for someone from a poorer district, she had become quite popular.

"So, Finch, I'm sure we are wondering how in the world you got a 10? That's rare for someone from a... lower-class district." Caesar tries his best to keep from offending her. It works because she just smiles and looks down at the ground to let out a small laugh.

"Caesar, I've got my secrets but I'd be happy to clear it all up for you. I made them pay attention to me. Most people don't know this or do know and are just too chicken to say anything about it but us from the poorer, not lower-class, but poorer districts are mistreated during the private sessions. We don't get any attention and when I walked in they didn't even acknowledge that I was there. But when I began," she laughs again, "They couldn't take their eyes off of me. I took the shitty position I was in and turned it into a 10. Hows that for a girl from 11?"

The crowd gasps as she cusses and I smile. She's me without any restraints. That lucky bitch. She smiles for the rest of the interview and Caesar seems a bit shaken because of her cussing. He knows that everyone cusses now and again but to do it on live television is unheard of around here. I've actually grown to respect this girl named after a bird. Maybe we could be allies. The thought instantly makes me smile because I know a knife would be in one of our backs within the hour we meet each other.

**Review? This chapter is over two thousand words longer then usual so don't I deserve a little review? Please? Now I'm just desperate. **

**Oh and I'm here to advertise this 24 author collaboration called Scream. It's in the general forums though and not the hunger games one. We need 13 more authors, last time I checked, and make sure to tell them that I sent you. :D Thanks a lot for reading!**


	10. The Beginning

**The games have begun! I hope the arena isn't too confusing but I can tell you that it is a opposite, opposite arena. That means that two opposites are in the same arena so I hope that helps.**

**The Beginning**

"That went well. Nice job, both of you." Magenta praises us, putting her arm around both of our shoulders.

"Thanks," I say simply, taking my hair out of it's braid.

Magenta begins gushing about how we were excellent but I know we weren't the best. We were decent and the only thing people would remember about me was my relaxed demeanor. Maybe the crowd laughed but they laugh for a lot of people. Jaxx was charming but it's not hard to charm an arrogant Capitol citizen. We did it right but people don't remember anything but the mistakes and the best of the best.

"Nice job, kids." I look up to see Zeke, his voice loud.

We get off the elevator and come face to face with our mentors. I realize that we won't see each other for much longer. Our goodbyes have finally come.

We all hug each other, everyone sad to see each other go. I don't hug Jaxx because, well he's Jaxx. I don't want to hug him when he could very well be killing me tomorrow. Liam hugs me tight and I try to hug him just as tight but it is evident that he is stronger then me. Magenta's hug is warm but it is probably because she has layers and layers of clothes. Zeke's hug was the most awkward because we didn't know each other and the relationship we did have contained us teasing and cussing at each other. He is to root for Jaxx and Liam must root for me, simple as that.

Magenta's crying by the end of it and I'm the first to drift to my room. I take a long shower to rid my face of the make-up but mostly because I felt dirty. Not physically, but mentally because of my appearance of the last few days. The kids at the home probably didn't even recognize me whenever I was on TV. _They'll recognize me tomorrow _I think. I'll go back to the simple community home girl except I'll probably be a killer within a few hours.

I get out of the shower at eleven and decide that maybe I should eat. I might of missed dinner but I doubt they would have dinner after we say goodbye to each other. The dining table was empty but an avox was walking around it, probably not knowing what to do but had to do something. She looks a bit surprised to see me up because we're usually all asleep around ten or maybe even nine. I order some toast and orange juice, in the mood for breakfast, and take a seat at the head of the table. The avox girl brings me my food about five minutes later, bows her head, and walks away.

I barely start eating when someone walks up behind me. "It's a wonder you're still skinny." Jaxx sneers.

Ignoring him, I finish my first piece of toast. The avox girl comes back in, probably noticing Jaxx, and he orders eggs with milk. Jaxx takes a seat next to me and watches me eat.

"Eggs and milk? Weird combination." I grumble, picking my orange juice up. I sip on it as the avox girl brings him his food.

"I miss the home." Jaxx says randomly and I nod.

The home wasn't the best place to live but it was home. We had friends there and some of them were like... family. Jaxx and I had never been close, he was always teasing me and I was always punching him in the gut or shoulder. It may sound like fun and games but he was this weird creeper dude that seriously needed to get a life.

"They miss us too. Rose and Lily are probably making plans about the feast though." I say, picking at my remaining toast with a fork that had no business being here but just was.

"Feast?"

"I promised them all a feast... If I won."

"Oh,"

It gets very quiet rather quickly and I finish my food. Jaxx is only half done and I know that I'll have to leave first. It's weird to feel bad about leaving him here, alone.

"I... I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I sound awkward and that's exactly how I feel. One of us will positively be dead in a week or two. That's a fact that I can't even come tog rips with.

"I'll see you then." he says, never looking up from his plate. I nod and head off to my room. Jaxx has changed, already. He didn't seem as arrogant anymore, he almost seemed lifeless.

Forgetting Jaxx, I plop onto my bed and try to sleep. About thirty minutes later, I see that sleep isn't possible. I try just staring at the wall to see if I can bore myself to sleep but it doesn't work. I look over at the clock to see that it is one in the morning. A pillow ends up on my face and I fade into unconsciousness sometime during the night. I wake up at least six times and I finally find a way to sleep until morning.

"Get your lazy butt up." a light voice calls.

The voice isn't loud but it's enough to drag me from my light sleep. I open my eyes and see Volumnia standing over me, fresh make-up surronding her blue eyes. She must have gotten up early to do that.

Today, I was going to be heading into the arena where a mystery awaits me. I'd prefer a forest to be there, no matter how small, but forests have gotten boring. People didn't like last years games much because of the great arena the second Quarter Quell presented. It was the deadly paradise but the only thing wonderful about it, to me, was that a poorer district tribute won instead of one of the jerks from 1, 2, and 4.

"Wait," I say, removing my hair from it ponytail, "Why are _you _waking me up?"

"It's my job to escort you to the hovercraft, duh. Now get up, lazy"

"I'm not lazy you...powder-face." I fumble and she smirks, happy that I'm not awake enough to insult her properly.

Volumnia leaves soon after, telling me that she'll be waiting in the living room. I quickly put on my gown to see that it's four hours before the games start. I could be dead in four hours, never to see the community home or District 7 again.

I jog into the living room, still wearing my robe, and see that only Volumnia, Jaxx, and a younger man is there. The man stands near Jaxx and I automatically see that he is Jaxx's stylist. They were all sitting on the couch with solemn faces, Jaxx still in his robe as well. I, as usual, was the last to be ready so we immediately leave as soon as I walk into the room.

We all get to the hovercraft fairly quickly and I'm having to take deep breaths to stop my legs from shaking. I'm going to be on live television where people will be cheering for me to kill a person or to die. Jaxx is walking blankly, as if he has no purpose but to walk to the hovercraft.

"See you in the Launch Room!" cheers Volumnia before running off, probably worried about being late.

Jaxx and I get on before being seated. It's quickly apparent that it is at complete random order because I am seated next to Finch from 11 and Elvira from 2. Elvira is shaking but I think it is from excitement and Finch's head is laid back, her eyes closed. I decide to lay back in my chair but keep my eyes open as people file in, filling in the empty seats.

We take off about twenty minutes later and that's when a women starts to come around with a needle in her hand. She makes it to me fairly quickly and tells me to hold out my arm. I do and she sticks the needle in the middle of my arm. I bite my lip when it goes in because it feels so weird to have that go into your arm. A light flies up my arm and stops at my shoulder where the light fades until you can no longer see it. The only reason I could tell where it lies is because of the large bump it has caused on my arm.

The hovercraft starts to speed up and when it is going the fastest the windows start to darken. A couple of tributes shut their eyes, digging their nails into something in order to stay clam. Why am I not scared? I should be. The bloodbath is the day that the most tributes die or, at least, that's what I've witnessed from my 13 years of watching the Hunger Games. I'd snuck in to watch the games when I was three years old, while the other girls were in bed, excluding the older ones of course.

I look up to see Jaxx, sitting next to Cimber, the boy from 2. They were quietly talking to one another and Cimber had this awful smile on his face. It was as if he was happy to finally let the games begin. It's sick what the career districts turn their children into.

A long time passes and I'm beginning to get seriously bored. I really need to stretch my bones and a glass of water would be good too. I'd only slept about five hours last night, maybe less, and I really need my strength which will come through food and water.

As if they could hear my aggravated thoughts, the hovercraft lands. We all file out of the hovercraft where our stylists are waiting to escort all of us to our personal launch rooms. Volumnia doesn't even say hey or anything while she escorts me to the launch room. When we walk in, I'm just about to grab my clothes when she grabs a file and begins to file my nails. Is this normal?

"What... are you doing?" I asks, gritting my teeth as she roughly grinds my nails.

"Helping you as much as a stylist can. If your nails are sharper then maybe you can use that to your advantage. Now hold still or you won't have any nails at all. Your welcome by the way." Volumnia looks up from my nails, still filing, and smiles.

"Thanks. This is really nice even though it hurts like hell." I smile as well as she finishes up my first hand. I'm surprised at how nice she is being but she was always better then my prep team during prepping before the chariot rides and the interview.

She finishes filing my nails soon after and begins dressing me, going much faster because of the delay with my nails. I put on the dark green shirt that fits my body perfectly while Volumnia puts my gray shorts on. The colors were rather dull but the short sleeves of the shirt and the fact that my shorts only went to my mid-thigh told me that it would be hot. My thoughts of it being hot vanish though whenever she puts a thick white jacket that goes to my knees. Well this is just confusing. Volumnia brings out some tennis shoes that she tells me are some of the best running shoes she's ever seen.

"They grip and form to whatever you step on. Expect rough terrain, Isis." Volumnia explains as she shoves the shoes onto my feet.

"What do you think the arena will be like?" I asks her, my legs shaking again, looking like thin little chicken legs.

"Hot, rough terrain. I'd say it involves some sand so a desert maybe? But the jacket means it could be cold. I honestly have no idea other then snow or a desert."" she shrugs and begins to put my hair in a ponytail, saying it will help keep my head cool.

A desert? That's a barren wasteland with absolutely no trees. Snow? That could mean anything which means it could mean no trees! Damn all to hell for this damn hot, cold desert, snow arena! I cuss out the gamemakers, the arena, and every Capitol citizen in my mind as Volumnia makes my hair perfect.

"One minute till launch." I look up at the dark ceiling, looking for any device that could carry the robotic voice and see nothing.

"It'll be okay." Volumnia grabs my shoulders and looks me in the eye. I take a deep breath, it coming out shaky. She notices my nervousness and brings me into a hug, squeezing me tight. "If you're wondering why I'm squeezing you, it's so you'll stop shaking." she stops for a moment and squeeze me tighter, "It's not going so well."

"I'll be alright, right?" I sound uncertain. Very uncertain. Too uncertain. Damn these nerves, damn the gamemakers, damn the arena, damn the Capitol, and damn the Hunger Games! The cussing seems to clam me down just a bit and I start walking over to the launch tube after Volumnia releases me.

"I believe in you, Isis Swift." this is the last thing I hear before the tube shuts, blocking all sound from reaching my ears. I only hear my heavy breaths but I zone that out and just look at Volumnia. She's the last person I'll see that isn't trying to kill me so I remember everything about her. Her white wig makes her three inches taller, her blue eyes are unnaturally bright, her skin is heavily powdered, wrinkles have formed around her mouth, and her nose always seems to be wrinkled in someway. She's a rather beautiful women but she has to be at least forty years old.

The tube begins to rise and my breath hitches. This is it. There is no escape from the horrors I'm about to face. Volumnia waves and my vision blacks out, the only light coming from above me. The darkness seems to last forever. My mind is reeling about what could lie above me but I'm really concerned about who could be around me. I'm a mere five feet away from the tribute to my right and the same goes for the one to the left. We are so close yet I feel so alone in this damn tube. Let me out of here! Just let it begin. That's what this is isn't it? The beginning. More like the beginning of the end.

Light fills everything. It consumes my every thought as the world of darkness is replaced with light so quickly. Nothing else seems to register in my mind except for the light. One voice manages to make it through the world of light a few seconds later though.

"Ladies and gentleman, let the 52nd Hunger Games begin!" the voice finishes as soon as the world becomes clear once again.

The clock starts ticking and I manage to quickly survey the arena, seeing only the big picture and not the little details. It isn't a desert. Well it's not all a desert. We're all standing on an area of hard-packed dirt. Not an area, but a circle that is just larger then the ring of tributes. To the right of the circle is hills that eventually form into mountains who's outline I can see in the distance. Snow is at the mountains.

_40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 35_

To the left is a wooded area which makes me smile a bit, certainly gaining me a close up because no tribute should ever smile right before the gong rings. My smile vanishes after that though because of the jungle directly behind the forest. My eyes can barely register it but in the distance is a see of tan which must be the desert. Shit.

_25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20_

I ignore the arena and focus on the cornucopia. The mouth is facing me and I suddenly feel bad for the tributes who are placed directly behind the cornucopia. The cornucopia is piled to the top with supplies but I see that backpacks take up the majority of the stash. Liam hadn't told me what to do in the bloodbath but I know that smarter tributes usually run away from the bloodbath. Some die off though. I need, no I have to get something from here. I settle my eyes on the backpack closest to me, a medium-sized navy pack that could hold anything from food to sand.

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5_

I zone out everything but the remaining five dongs. Dong. I position my feet to run at the backpack that can only be twenty yards away. Dong. I lean all of my weight onto my right foot, the one in front. Dong. I take a deep breath and see that everyone has spotted their item and have their feet positioned. Dong. I see Jaxx trying to smile but any idiot could see that it is all an act. GONG!

I take off running, feeling foreign to how much wind is blowing into my face. It is all silent except for the many breaths of the tributes. Tassel, the male from 1, makes it to the cornucopia first and holds his sword straight out. The girl from 3 runs right into it and I mentally take note that one less breath is filling my ears. I grab the back pack but don't manage to swing it over my back when something horrible happens.

I've just straighten my back when a body falls onto my feet. It's a younger boy and a knife is sticking out of his neck. I let my gaze go up from his neck to his head. It's the boy who complimented my chariot ride outfit. It's the boy who got a 3 in training. It's the boy who sat next to me during the interviews and went for the sappy angle. Tuscan, the young boy from District 6. I look up, trying to find his attacker, and see Poise, the girl from 1 that Jaxx was so interested in. Shit.

I take off running, making a beeline for the forest, and she begins throwing her knifes. One lands next to my foot. Shit. Another just ahead of me. Damn. She throws many more and with every knife I say shit, damn, shit, damn. Eventually she gives up once I reach the tree line of the dense forest.

My heart says to stay where it is familiar, the forest, but my instincts say to keep running. I follow my instincts and take off running. Making sure that I'm too busy to take note of my heart rate that must be racing by now.

For at least two hours I keep running, occasionally hearing another breath from my right or left but no one sneaks up behind me. Around two in the afternoon the cannons begin. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. I mouth each cannon but keep jogging forward, already in the middle of the jungle where the temperature has risen by a lot.

Ten are dead and we've only been in the games for a few hours. I sigh and start running again, wrapping the backpack around my back more tighter. I'm on my own but Jaspe could be out there with Althea.

I stop running when I see that the desert is much closer now, deciding that if I go any further I'll dehydrate even sooner. I'm surrounded by thick vines and trees but none of them have branches. They are all just tall, bare trees and the leaves don't even start until twenty feet up. I cuss out the gamemakers, Capitol, arena, and all that again while I find a good tree. The tree I pick is thirty feet tall and has more leaves then most of the trees so I decide it is perfect.

I'm just about to start climbing the trunk until I remember that this could be impossible. I grab the closest vine and see if it is close enough to the tree for me to swing over to it. It is. I'm about to start climbing until I yank it. The vine snaps loose and falls to the ground. Any sound that could express my anger never comes because I know that any sound could attract unwanted attention to me. I grab another close vine, yank it, and it never falls.

I make sure the backpack is secure and start to climb the vine. I reach the top of the tree and swing over, landing on the tree after the fifth swing. I don't settle down until the vine starts swinging and try to find a nice place to huddle up for the night. Nothing is comfortable but a fork in the tree manages to grab my attention so I lean on the trunk and put my feet on the two branches before getting my backpack out.

While unzipping the pack. I try to be as quiet as possible because, by now, other tributes could be this far out. Once it is unzipped I start grabbing the first thing I see, food. The food was some berries, a pack of crackers, and jerky. I was familiar with the jerky because that is what I often bought from the market whenever we could afford it because It lasted so long. A bottle of water catches my eye but it's only a pint or so and it's not even filled, water only occupying half of it. Half-empty, half-full, who gives a damn, all I know is that I was cheated out of my water. I drop the water back into my pack and dig around to see a wooden bowl, some pain medicine, and a knife. It isn't as big as the ones I used during training but it is big enough for me to throw. Oh thank those damn gamemakers!

I twirl it in my hand just as the sky starts to darken. The anthem begins and I look through the treetops and manage to see the majority of the screen. The first face is that of the District 3 girl. Tassel, Poise, Cimber, and Elvira survived. Damn. District 4's male is next which didn't surprise me because he never was very memorable in my mind. District 5 lost both of it's tribute then Tuscan's sweet face appears on the sky and I look down at my foot that is speckled with his blood that must have dripped from his neck wound. Poor dead kid. After Tuscan, comes the girl from 9 and the boys from 10 and 11. Finch survived. Lucky bitch. The final two are both of the kids from 12 which isn't surprising because 12 never has much of a chance in these things.

I sigh as the light fades and I'm left in the complete darkness. This is only the beginning of my nightmare. The beginning of the end. The beginning of the end for Isis Swift.

**Review? Oh and thank you so much to my latest three reviewers, Megalor9, BR2607, and my anonymous reviewer, Raven.**


	11. Numb

**Numb**

I awake to the sound of people. The home has trained me to have light ears so I quickly go from groggy sleeper to alert look-out within seconds. I don't see them but my ears detect the sounds of feet running and people smacking leaves or vines out of their way. I don't dare move though because if they are running then that probably means something is chasing them. It's barely dawn and people usually aren't up this early unless they didn't go to sleep at all or something woke them up.

"We've got them!" yells an excited voice but they are further back then the running people.

We've means that it is multiple people which more then likely means the careers. The careers mean Jaxx. I go against my instinct and stand up on my branch, careful not to shake it too much because I looped my backpack around it last night, along with my jacket. I peer around the tree to notice three dark figures running behind the green foliage. I don't recognize them but the first one is tall, followed by a much shorter tribute with a ponytail, and the last one is a little shorter then the tallest one.

I watch as they run towards the desert until many more figures run behind them, only a hundred feet away. They are huddled together but it has to be at least four of them, maybe five. Careers. Only they could have such a large alliance so early in the games. I dare to poke my head out even more to watch them run straight into the desert. Jaxx is the last runner because I can see his ruffled brown hair from here.

They disappear behind a sand dune and I shrink back behind the tree trunk. Jaxx may not be eager enough to run the fastest, meaning he'll kill first, but he could have stayed at the cornucopia to guard. At least then he wouldn't have killed those three figures. I've seen him as this community home boy when he is more killer now then ever. Was he always this eager? I've seen the guards at the cornucopia and those are the ones who usually abandon the careers but Jaxx willingly ran with them to hunt. Bastard.

About ten minutes later I peer around the tree again to see if they had returned yet. No cannon had come but that doesn't mean the careers gave up. Now is as good as any time to leave this hot jungle. I steadily walk further down the branch and slide my backpack off the end of it. My jacket had been tied up to the tree all night by it's arms because that jacket was obviously meant to be a blanket for those in the snow-capped mountains. Stuffing the jacket into my backpack, I make sure that none of the figures come back.

The vine that I used to get up here is too far away for me to grab so I look for another vine to use. The closest one is to my right so I cautiously edge over to it, stepping lightly on the rubbery branches. I manage to grab the vine, having to lean forward a little too much for my liking, and when I yank it the vine comes loose only a little but it manages to hold. I hike the backpack over my left shoulder and grab onto the vine. I wrap my legs and arms firmly around the vine before closing my eyes. I've always been mildly scared of heights but I know that there is no room for fear in the Hunger Games. Those three figures weren't afraid otherwise they would have given up or at least been screaming.

I blow all of the air out of my lungs before loosening my grip on the vine, causing me to slide down the vine. My hands tightened involuntarily which causes my body to start and stop as fast as gunfire which makes me even more scared. What if someone walks by and sees my stupid vine drop? They'd get a good chuckle before they killed me, wouldn't they?

My feet find the ground about twenty seconds later and I open my eyes to see that I'm fine. Well, my hands are red with some sticky stuff on it which must be from me gripping the vine so tightly, causing it's insides to squeeze out. I wipe my hands on my shorts but it soon is apparent that this stuff isn't getting off. I squat down, suddenly aware that killers aren't that far away, and unzip my backpack. The jacket is covering everything so I take it out, throwing it on the moist jungle floor, not caring if it gets a little dirty. The wooden bowl is covering the knife so I move it and grab the knife.

I've just wrapped my hands around the deadly blade when something happens. My once steady hands start shaking. They are both shaking as if I'm nervous so I try stopping them by putting them between my knees and the muddy ground. After a couple of seconds, they stop shaking but whenever I take them out my hands are shaking much more violently. What the hell is this? Feeling goes away from my hands and I decide to bite them, desperate to feel anything. I bite into my right hand and it's nothing but numbness.

Then the numbness and shaking starts to spread up my arm, traveling at about an inch a second, gaining speed quickly. My heart is racing now because I've never seen this before. This isn't the usual thing I see in the games so all I can do is watch as my body begins to lose all control. The numbness makes it way across my shoulders and begins going towards my legs and up my neck at the same time. I fall from my squatted position until I'm laying on the ground, staring up at the treetops. Please don't let this be poison! My eyes are numb and I'm not even sure if I can blink anymore. The knife in my hand suddenly feels heavy and my hand unclasps it, making it fall to the ground. My whole body is motionless.

Seconds past but my motionless life makes it seem like hours. All I can do is stare at the treetops and pray that this is not permanent. The damn gamemakers have never placed a liquid in the plants that leaves a tribute paralyzed so I must be the first. What a fucking pleasure! I try to blink because of my eyes feeling dry and it feels as if I'm trying to pull one of the chariots from the tribute parade by my hair. The blink never comes and I try something else, crying. Sound escapes my throat as I think of being killed, forcing sad thoughts to enter my mind, but my mouth is closed so it sounds as if I'm choking. I hope I'm not choking. I don't want to die when there is nothing I can do to stop it. At least you can run from a killer or find food if your starving but I can't do anything when I'm in this paralyzed state. Tears form but they only provide a thin layer of moisture on my eyes. It's only gained me moist eyes and blurry vision. _What a great idea, dumbass! I _cuss my stupidity out in my mind as someone approaches silently.

"Come on, Althea." a masculine voice calls from what seems like a mile away.

Althea? I know her. That's um, who is that? I try to speed up my slow, numb mind but nothing comes into my thoughts. Althea. She's a tribute, obviously, but nothing else. Wait, she is young and from an even number District. 2 or 4? Has one of the careers come back to finish me off? They might have been able to see me in the tree. No, they don't encourage each other, they are very selfish. 6? No, I've never even seen the girl from 6 before. 8? That's Jaspe's District and his District partner is Althea. Wait. Althea, Althea. Oh my god, it's my allies!

I start trying to move but my body does nothing. I'm trapped inside my own body. This is shit! My body continues to refuse to cooperate so I try a new tactic.

"Jaspe! Althea! Help me!" I scream all of this as loud as I can but it comes out as a moan inside of my mouth that only someone close to me could hear.

"Hey, when are we finding Isis?" Althea asks him, her voice as squeaky as ever. I try to smile at the thought of them but my mouth just feels like useless, blubbery fat.

I give up on moving and just screaming into my mouth, hoping the poison will wear off soon because Althea and Jaspe are nearing me but they'll be gone soon enough. Besides, I landed behind some thick foliage so it may take them quite a bit to actually find me.

"Who said we weren't looking for her?" Jaspe sounds a bit annoyed. I guess Althea had been asking about me a lot lately or she had just done something quite annoying earlier that he is still mad about. I'm hoping that it isn't the latter because I don't want giant Jaspe to kill little Althea because the winner is obvious in everyone's mind except for maybe Althea's family who are still hoping she will come home to them.

"Why would she be in the jungle though? Wouldn't someone from 7 be drawn to the forest like a bee to honey? It's just common sense." Althea persuades him.

I roll my eyes as she goes with the stereotypes again. I would love to be in the forest, Althea, but I can't with killers being so close by. Amateur. I smile as Jaspe groans a bit. Wait. Did I just roll my eyes? And smile? Oh my god, I can move again! I'm overcome with happiness when I sit up. Except, I don't sit up. My body merely moves as little as humanly possible. Damn those damn gamemakers for putting that damn shit in the damn shit vine! I scream and cuss in my mind, slamming my fist into the ground which is the most movement I can manage at the moment.

Maybe my voice works now. I open my mouth as much as I can manage which is just a small little slit and yell, "Jaspe!" my voice comes out as a rough whisper but at least I can understand myself again. I try a few more times before switching over to Althea's name. No response until they are parallel from me, only a dozen feet away. I yell one more time until Althea stops walking.

"Did you hear that?"

My body instantly relaxes as she hears my voice. Thank god she has good ears because otherwise I'd be sitting here for probably another hour, waiting for all of my limbs to un-numb. Jaspe stops walking and goes back to where Althea is standing. He brushes the little hair covering his ear out of the way and listens. Now that they are standing still I see how quiet it is.

"Jaspe! Althea!" I yell again, my voice still a rough whisper.

I eagerly wait for them to turn my way but they keep listening. I yell a few more times, trying my best to make a noticeable noise. I stop yelling for a moment to swallow my saliva.

"There! Did you hear it?" Althea cries out.

I stop yelling and try to listen for any noise that isn't me. A faint sound hits my ear but it could be anything from a leave cracking to a raindrop hitting something hard. It's too faint to be anything really. My voice is readying to yell again when Jaspe says something that shocks even me.

"Althea, don't panic, but the careers are running straight at us." Jaspe whispers this just before he grabs Althea, puts her on his back, and takes off running.

The careers? After my alliance? Hell no! I force my body to scoot over towards the tree. I make it to the large trunk and it takes all of my effort to lift my body up. I release my breath and let my body fall against the tree. From here, I can see Jaspe and Althea running through the jungle but Jaspe won't make it unless he has a knife because that's the only weapon I know he can use. The careers aren't making much sound behind me or they are far off. They must have given up on the three figures or well I don't know why they would come back because I didn't hear any cannons.

The numbness is still in control of my body but I can blink now without much trouble at all. The problem is that I can't run from the careers if the need presents itself. If they give up with chasing down Jaspe and Althea then they may pick through this area to find me. I need to hide right now!

But I don't want to cower away when they could be killing my allies within minutes. Jaspe taught me how to use this knife so maybe it's time to put that to use. I can't kill the leader though because that would just be suicide. No, I'll kill the straggler. I can only kill one but will I have the ability and the time to get my knife back? No, I probably won't but Jaspe and Althea are worth it. They haven't done any wrong to me and when I have the ability to maybe save their lives then I'll definitely be there for them.

I reach for my knife but I'm too far away so I lean my shoulder towards it, extending my arm, and manage to pull it over with the tip of my pointer finger. I grasp the knife in my hand and tighten my grip on the deadly blade. I could be holding one of my allies life in my hand right now and I'll have to do is let it fly. Fly right into the head of one of the careers.

The careers are much louder now, obviously out of the desert and running into the jungle. My stomach ties itself into knots and I grit my teeth. Wait, will the numbness affect my knife-throwing abilities? I don't want to take any risks so I practice flicking my wrist like Jaspe taught me during training. The numbness has loosened up on my head, feet, and from my elbow down. The middle part of my body is still very much numb and it will take quite a while for it to become useful again.

The careers are only a hundred or so feet away by now because I can hear their breaths and their heavy feet tromping through the jungle. They must not be afraid to attract any unwanted attention because they themselves are the unwanted attention. Must be nice to be so fearless in the arena.

"Why is there only two of them?" yells a feminine voice that I recognize as Elvira from 2. They stop running for a moment and I hear how labored their breaths are. "You said that your little partner would be with them?" Elvira is obviously pissed the hell off.

I hold my breath as I realize that they are talking to Jaxx which means they are talking about me. He has sold me out to them!He told them that I would be with District 8! That asshole, I'll kill him!

"She's probably in front of them," Jaxx sounds as if he is thinking while talking which means she is lying. He's just trying to save his own ass. "Leading them, probably. She's a really fast runner." Jaxx sounds as if he is the most tired. Maybe he wasn't staying in the back of the group because he wasn't an eager killer but because he was just not in as good of shape as the rest of them.

"Fast runner, eh?" Elvira is laughing sarcastically, as if she is amused with Jaxx lying. I breath out of the very corner of my mouth, desperate to be quiet, and try to imagine what it must feel like to be caught lying by a killer who is probably armed.

"Yeah," Jaxx may not be close by but I swear I can hear him gulp form here. It's nice to see him squirm under a thirteen year olds stare.

"Ha. Ha ha." Elvira mockingly laughs. "I guess we'll have to see then when we catch them."

Without another word, the careers are taking off again. When they pass me I shrink my neck down a bit but it's obviously that their eyes are set on Jaspe and Althea who have already disappeared and not to the side where I'm laying. The pair from 2 are leading and the stragglers are Marlene and Jaxx. Jaxx is a bigger target and plus I see that he is actually eager to kill, pretending to be upset before the games. I aim the knife, waiting for the others to run a bit further ahead then him, and flick my wrist forward. The knife flies.

"Shit," I mumble as I notice that the knife didn't even go a foot away from me.

I must have been weaker and more numb then I thought. Jaspe and Althea are going to have to be on their alone this time. If one of them dies though then I'll never forgive myself or those damn gamemakers. Well, I never plan on forgiving the gamemakers but if there was any chance it would be destroyed if Althea or Jaspe die.

Somehow, my head ends up staring at the sky again, mud under my hair. I watch the treetops, the occasional bird flying through my vision. I' getting hungry but maybe if I save my energy I'll be able to start walking in a hour or two. The sky peeks through some of the leaves and I notice that it is a purple color. I've seen blue skies, yellow skies, orange skies, and even pink skies but purple has never appeared in the District 7 sky.

Oh District 7. I wonder what they must think of me right now, laying on the ground as children kill each other. Althea must have made it by now because it's been at least twenty minutes and no cannon or scream has made it's way to my ears. I close my eyes and think of what must be going on at the home. Rose and Lily are probably glued to the television screen, seeing as this is the first year they were allowed to watch past the interviews. Fiona is probably busy with cleaning and cooking because everyone is very excitable during the games which leads them to hunger. Being around other people just makes people cheer more, laugh more, and sometimes even cry more. I know Astrid is crying. Astrid is merely the girl I stole my reaping dress from but I've seen her cry at every Hunger Games showing. Apparently, she gains an emotional attachment to every single tribute and when they die, well she uses a lot of issues on the bloodbath day.

BOOM!

I open my eyes to darkness and the echo of a cannon. What the hell? Did I go to sleep? Am I better? I try to move my arm and it shoots straight up. I wasn't even tired! How could I fall asleep because it had to have been at least seven hours ago. Maybe the paralyzing poison makes you drowsy or something? Wait, who died?

I stand up and stretch my aching limbs. I've been standing still for too long. I stretch for at least five minutes before grabbing my knife and stuffing my jacket back into the backpack, finishing what should have been done a long time ago.

The jungle was silent, probably alive before the cannon silence all of the animals, and I knew that everyone was gone except for my dumbass. I hike the backpack onto my back again and go out into the open for the first time in over 24 hours. The time for hiding is gone and now I have to hunt down the number one dumbass of the 52nd Hunger Games. Jaxx.

**Wow, that was a quick update! Thanks to my three reviewers Megalor9, Morpheus357, and BR2607. **

**Megalor9 made a good point about the not so gorish bloodbath and that is intentional. I'm saving the real gore for later so be warned. **

**Morpheus357 was confused about Jaxx which is what I was aiming for because Jaxx has something big planned soon which will certainly be an interesting twist.**

**BR2607 was right about Isis meeting District 8, they just didn't meet with her. **

**See? I read my reviews so why don't you write me one? It'll be the best thing you can do for me! Thanks for reading and the next update will be in asap.**


	12. Entertainment

**Cussing below that begin with a F.**

**Entertainment**

One face is in the sky that night. The girl from 10 appears and I sigh. She couldn't be more then 13 but then I see something before her tan skin fades into nothing. A ponytail. It's the same ponytail I saw running last night, between the two tall people.

How did she get killed by the careers when her taller allies got away? They must be injured. But the careers had already walked away so had they fatally wounded the girl, leaving her to bleed out? Wouldn't have it been easier to just kill them all instead of forcing her allies to watch her die for hours? Hours of pain and suffering. I can't even imagine but I've seen it on the television over the years but to watch it in person must be traumatizing. I hope her allies don't win. Well, then I would be dead, but they would have the image of her dying forever. Unless they abandon her. Or they were the ones to kill her. I've witnessed betrayal as well and I'd rather die at the hands of a stranger then die at the hands of someone who I trusted.

"Bastards," I mumble, directing some of my anger at whoever killed her because either way it's wrong. I just hope it was the careers but you can't change the fact that she saw her killer and must have suffered.

I look down from the sky and continue walking through the jungle. It's been about an hour since my scrap with being paralyzed and the forest has become more clear even though it is clear that it will be at least another twenty minute walk. I would be running or at least walking fast if it weren't for my stiff muscles that have barely stretched since I've woken up. Jaxx is at the cornucopia, I know it, but that's not the only reason I'm heading towards the killers of the games. I thought it through and the forest is the right direction to head in.

The forest is familiar and the jungle has proved to me that poison can be hidden among the most harmless of things. Jaspe and Althea went through the forest and they aren't dead so they must be injured, needing help, my help. Any chance of me getting an axe is just past this forest. The desert holds tributes that are possibly armed. And I would prefer to not be sweating my ass off even though I've been asleep. So, yes, the forests seems pretty attractive right now.

I wipe my moist forehead with the back of my hand and stop walking. I've not eaten much all day and being numb had distracted me from my growling stomach for a few hours. No animals had caught my attention but that is probably because I've been immobilized for quite sometime. I decide that I've walked enough for a little while and plop down next to a tree, not daring to touch another vine.

The only food in my backpack that I felt safe eating was the jerky so I take it out. Berries could be poisonous or edible so I'm not taking any chances, plus it's too dark to make a very accurate reading on what kind of berries it is. My only other food is the crackers which will fill me up faster then anything else so I'll save that for later.

I grab a slender but thick piece and nibble on it as slowly as possible, focusing on the taste and not the amount. This jerky isn't as dry as the one in 7 but it tasted too Capitol. It definitely wasn't high-quality stuff because when my mind replays the memories of that delicious Capitol food, my mouth starts to realize and I can't help but bite a big chunk of the jerky off. I chew rather slowly and try to think of how little we had at the home and not how much I had in the Capitol. Compared to the home, this was a feast. Well if I ate it all at once it would be a feast.

Oh, right, the feast. I promised the kids a feast. I bet none of them know that in order for me to give them a feast, I'm required to kill people. I'm sure they saw Jaxx involved with killing someone somehow during the bloodbath so maybe the twelve year olds who are watching the actual games for the first time see that it is not just kids getting dressed up but kids getting killed for 'entertainment'. The Capitol's definition of entertainment is a hell of a lot different from my definition.

I sigh, suddenly seeing that I'm finished with the jerky much sooner then I thought. Putting the rest of the jerky back into the backpack, I listen for any sounds of tributes. The careers, Jaspe, and Althea could already be running up the hill section of the arena and I've barely made it to the edge of the jungle. I zip the backpack up and stand up, trying desperately to stretch my limbs. I've tried running several times but my limbs seem to get wobbly very easily and in the very back of my mind I wonder if the numbing has weakened me. How long will it take for me to gain my strength back that I worked so hard to build up in the last four years of lumberjacking?

_Crack._ My head snaps up, staring at the dark forest ahead of me, as I hear the twig snap. The snapping echos very faintly and I realize how silent and empty the arena was until now. Who or what could be out there? The first thing to come into mind would obviously be a tribute. They're the most abundant thing in the arena that could be moving at this point in the games. But then again there was only one death and a muttation could certainly up the death rate.

I grab my knife out of my waistband, seeing as how I didn't have any pockets, and stand still, waiting for any sounds. _Crack. _A gasp tries to escape from my mouth but my strong will won't let it because I now know that it isn't just some random twig falling from a tree but something is out there. It has probably not seen me yet, seeing as how the sound came from the forest where twigs are very common. If I move a mutt would detect it but a tribute wouldn't. I'm not taking a single chance or risk in an arena of death.

The knife's handle is growing moist and I know that the sweat on my hand is not from the heat but the nervousness. Killers have been closer to me then this but now I'm in the open, only hidden by the darkness of the night which won't help if the mutt has night vision. My breath deepens and slows as I realize that my face is probably holding a close-up with a camera hidden among the vines and trees. Tributes rarely go out at night, alone. I must be a sitting duck as this other tribute or mutt stands in the forest.

Oh yeah, this is totally sensible entertainment. Fucking best thing ever. I wonder how the kids must feel if their even awake. They probably won't know I'm dead until tomorrow when the announcers recap the days deaths. No one but the extreme fans will know it is me who died. It must be fun to watch kids kill each other live because you know that you'll never be one of them. It's all live. Someone is eating delicious food in the Capitol right now, watching me prep myself for death. They think this is normal and may even want me dead if I'm not the tribute they placed their bet on.

A loud, piercing scream interrupts my thoughts. The scream fills the air and I don't dare move, not even sure who the scream belongs to or where it's coming from. The scream is nothing but a scream, not recognizable as a female or male, animal or human.

BOOM!

Human. Definitely human. I let out a breath of air. Whatever killed the tribute was not meant for me so maybe my face wasn't the center of attention but it was theirs. My shoulders relax and I try to wipe all thoughts away from my mind that involved the fact that a human being died only a mile or less away from me. The killer is also only a mile or less away from me. It would be stupid to forget that.

I take one step forward when a chill run up my spine. I shake my body, trying to get rid of any fear when a deep, low growl comes from behind me. Shit. My neck or feet don't even rotate one bit because I know that whatever behind me is trying to kill me. I take off running, heading towards where that tributes killer lays but I know that whatever behind me isn't going to wait for me to think of another direction to head towards.

The growl was deep so it's mouth was closed whenever it did that. From my experience with house cats, I know that that growl was fairly similar to that of the stray cats. Maybe these cat mutts were everywhere around the arena, one for every tribute. The tribute in the woods was probably the first to have her mutt released and I may be the second. The growl gets closer so I turn sharply, almost slipping because of my foot turning to the side so abruptly. Instead of running towards the woods, I was running across the jungle, having to jump over vines.

When I turned, my eyes caught a very vague, quick glance at the mutt. It was a tan color so my first thought was a lion. Lions aren't mutts though so something special was up with the bastard behind me. Maybe if I could just get one more glance at the beast then I could see was has been advanced with it. The hot breath of the cat/lion wasn't there but it's faint panting was still making it's way into my ears that are pounding with my heartbeat. I'd been standing still for so long that this sudden running had shocked my body even though I clearly had enough energy for it. I've ran this fast before but never in order to save my life. It's interesting how a hobby can save your life, seeing as how I use to jog every morning until I started lumberjacking so much.

I've just decided to turn again, heading towards the forest once more, when another scream comes from across the arena. Looks as though I was right about the multiple mutts being in the arena. We surely are consuming a large amount of camera time, seeing as though this is probably very entertaining. Another scream comes and the screamer is in the middle of his terror expression when I make another sharp turn.

This time my eyes are looking for the animal. Dawn was creeping up the sky so it wasn't just a figure I was seeing but a detailed muttation. It wasn't a lion. The creature was tan as I already saw that before but black spots covered most of it's body. Cheetah. A lion-cheetah? Chion? That's what I came up with until at the last second I see the creatures teeth. The image alone makes my eyes avert away and run even faster but the image is burned into my mind. The creatures teeth were taking up at least half of it's face but that is probably because it has no lips or cheeks, as if it was ripped off. The creatures teeth was tinted a gray and dark green color as if they were rotting. You'd expect it's teeth to be rather sharp and short but these were at least a foot long, the top and bottom teeth running into each other so much that many of it's rotting teeth were crooked. It was almost enough to make me grab a vine and try to climb but I wasn't stupid enough to become numb, giving the Chion all the time in the world to kill me slowly.

"Nooooooo!" a loud voice, obviously different from the one that came from the hills, screams.

BOOM!

Shit! They really want us dead tonight don't they. The Capitol must be crazy with betters, waking up from their sleep to find that they are watching some real action. The gamemakers must be bored with all of us tributes who managed to run and will be releasing some more on the sleeping tributes. Maybe that numbing poison was a blessing because if I hadn't of went asleep then I would have been sleeping as well, waking up to see a Chion eating my insides out. Yes, I've declared this little bastard behind me a Chion.

The Chion starts snapping behind me and I start to breath even harder, suddenly pissed off that the mutt found me. He must have smelled my delicious jerky and couldn't help himself. The thought makes me smile just a bit but that's probably because this is an adrenaline rush moment where I will really do anything. I'm hyped up but my hype will run out soon and the Chion will be having me as a meal until the hovercraft gets me where it will then eat my jerky. Well that's what I imagine.

The Chion snaps again and I'm just frustrated at this point that he won't give up or at least slow down. "Fuck you!" I say loud enough for him to hear but also so the gamemakers know that I'm still fighting. I wonder if they'll bleep it out. They better not because I won't them all to know that Isis Swift will die pissed off, not crying like a child.

The forest is very close by now and I know that the gamemakers are probably overjoyed that I'm forced to run to the careers. The Chion will probably attack them after I'm dealt with. I hope he eats Jaxx but lets him live a while. I want 7 to have only a half a body to bury instead because he isn't even a whole person, he's a small monster with a soul that seems to be fading away. That sounds harsh but I've really lost all respect for Jaxx which wasn't very hard to do considering I didn't much respect him anyways.

"Isis!" a young voice calls from ahead of me, way too happy for the moment.

I look up from my stomach, seeing as how you run faster with your head down, and see a head of brown hair. Althea. Shit! She's going to get killed!

"Althea, run!" I scream this as loud as possible, not caring if the careers hear me. She can't die clueless. Althea needs to have at least a chance at living. "Run!" I scream again.

Althea shakes her head and stands firmly in my way. Doesn't she see the mutt? Idiot! I can't even fathom why she would just stand there as I try to run. Ok, no more sweet Isis that she may have saw.

"Run, bitch!" I yell this loudly just as she closes her eyes, preparing for me to run into her.

CRACK! The sound of wood splitting comes from right behind me and I almost stop running. The Chion howls in pain but it's still alive. Althea is much closer now so I keep running but hold my arm out, curve it, and scoop Althea up by her stomach. She's heavier then I expected but we manage to make it about ten yards when she plants her feet into the ground, forcing me to stop.

"If you want to die then go right ahead but don't drag me down with you!" I try to keep running, knowing that if I stop then my energy won't hold.

"Isis," Althea sounds calm and tries to hold me back. "Isis, look. Here, stop running and look behind you."

My feet slow down before my mind can make a decision and my body sags against Althea's hold. The thin t-shirt does little to stop my heartbeat from making my heart strong enough to show it beating through my shirt. I may have ran that fast before but that was the longest I've ever went without stopping or having water.

"What? What could it possibly be, Althea?" I'm too tired to even lift my head so Althea helps me look at the Chion behind me.

I manage to move my hair enough to see the Chion lying on the ground, Jaspe stabbing it's head with a sharpened stick. Another larger, thicker stick is lying in front of it but it was split in two. Jaspe must have put the stick out and made the Chion run into it, making it fall backwards because of it's momentum.

"Nice job. That was genius. Thanks," I say before passing out onto the ground. My vision was already starting to fade, bursts of color popping before my eyes, as I was saying that.

I must have been passed out for hours because the first thing my eyes see are the sun in the middle of the sky. The next thing I see is a ceiling made out of giant leaves that must be the size of two of my heads. On the sides, under the leaves, are walls made of mud and leaves. A hut.

Jaspe and Althea are laying against the walls which means the walls are sturdy because Jaspe is at least 160 pounds. Maybe more. Althea is watching me but Jaspe is sharpening his blood-caked spear with a rock. He probably didn't run towards the cornucopia so he had to make his own weapons.

"Hey, guys." I say, my voice rather hoarse. I guess my screaming hadn't helped my voice much.

"Hey," mumbles Jaspe as if he is bored.

"Hey, Isis." Althea is smiling.

Althea is covered in scratches and none of them are deep except for a rather large one running up her forearm. Jaspe is also covered in them but his still look open unlike Althea's that appear to be scabbed over already.

"What happened to you guys?" I say sitting up. My head is a little dizzy but I just pinch my forehead and make the rest of the way to lean against the tree. Oh, it's a lean-to, not a hut.

Jaspe puts his spear down and looks up, no longer looking as different from the old Jaspe I met at the training center. His face relaxes and he looks to Althea, probably seeing if she wants to explain. She does.

"Briars. We had to run through them to hide from the careers. Oh, the careers chased us by the way." Althea says, placing something brown in her mouth. Wait.

"That's my jerky!" I exclaim, not really acknowledging her last statement. I don't sound mad but she turns red as if she was caught spray painting the President's mansion.

"Here, I'll give you some of our apples." Althea bends over to her jacket that is lying in a heap on the ground and reaches into it's pocket. She brings out two green apples and I notice that they look a bit bruised.

"Thanks. Did these come from the cornucopia?" I take a bite out of the less bruised apple.

"Actually there are some from the hills. We went there after the bloodbath but we heard screams form the mountains so we went to the jungle. Then the careers came," I interrupt Jaspe before he finishes.

"And chased you here. Yeah, I was watching the whole time but I couldn't move." I then proceeded to explain to them the vines and how they are filled with the numbing poison.

"Why didn't you yell at us?" Althea says, dumbstruck.

"I did!" I say a bit louder then expected but I'm just a little shocked at how oblivious Althea is at times. "My mouth was closed and you were too busy listening to the careers to hear me."

"Oh, well maybe you were there. Oh and thanks for calling me bitch by the way." Althea smiles a bit.

"I thought you were crazy, standing around while I was being chased by a Chion." I say, my mouth open wide but smiling at the same time.

"Chion?" Jaspe sounds as confused as Ceaser whenever I said lumberjill. I sigh before explaining the Chion and how it got it's name but it took even longer to explain what a cheetah was to Althea. "Do you nickname everything?"

"It's called being creative, Jaspe. You should try it sometimes." I sneer before taking another bite out of my apple.

Jaspe rolls his eyes and lays down on the ground. "I'm wore out from saving you so don't bother me." Jaspe whispers before closing his eyes.

Althea and me are quiet for a while as we eat our jerky and apples together. Jaspe eventually goes to sleep, his muscled body rising up and down slowly. We share the water Jaspe collected yesterday and sit in silence. Althea is the first to talk and from the position in the sky that the sun stands I would say it is six in the evening.

"How many tribute's are dead?" her feminine, cheery voice has gone in the direction of ghostly. I guess she has never had to talk about death but she probably didn't want to count how many deaths had occurred already so she had to ask someone and that someone happened to be me.

"13," I say simply, "11 left."

"10 more to die." Althea says, her voice losing it cheeriness more and more.

"Hey," I say, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder like I do whenever a girl wakes up with nightmares in the middle of the night at the community home. "Don't think like that. Tributes go crazy like that so just think happy thoughts." I lean in close as if I'm about to tell her a secret and say, "I make up those crazy nicknames to stay myself. No one else calls that mutt a Chion, to my knowledge, and that let's me know that I'm still me. So, find something to do that is you. You'll be surprised how much it helps."

I lean back and the first thing that comes into my mind is that night of the interviews. It's like how I was helping her get over her stage fright. She was like a little sister. Well, I had lots of 'little sisters' at the community home but Althea isn't very annoying. Sure, she isn't the sharpest axe in the forest but she actually asks for legitimate advice that I can actually give. Well maybe I'm just making this up to make her seem sweeter to me but still.

"Al-alright," Althea nods slowly and lays down on the ground. She watches me for a while but sleep takes over and she is unconscious within ten minutes.

I watch the sky for a while until it's twilight outside. Jaspe and Althea stir very little in their sleep so I decide that if I walk out of the lean-to I won't be taking a big risk of waking either of them up.

Crawling out of the hut, I notice that the ground is drier then the moist jungle floor. It isn't cracked though like the ground under the cornucopia. I stand up and the gasp comes out of me before my mouth can stop it. Directly in front of me is the golden horn of death. The cornucopia. We are just behind the careers. Shit.

**Sorry about the sort of delay! I was trying to post it yesterday but it never really worked. I hope you liked it and reviewing would be so awesome! Thank you to my previous two reviewers, Morpheus357 and hublub. I hope the mutt was explained properly and if you have any questions then review and I'll reply to you by PM. Thanks so much for reading! Oh and encase you forgot to review, just review. :)**


	13. Surprises

**Surprises**

I stare at the cornucopia for at least five minutes, not daring to move. It was just dark enough that I wasn't sure if the careers were inside or outside of the cornucopia. I should be happy, being so close to Jaxx who I still plan to kill. Maybe I had wanted to kill him all along. That sounds so bad and it may be but he had joined those careers on his own free will.

Maybe it's all just some act I've made up for myself. My mind may think it's the right thing to do to kill him so it's trying to make my heart want to kill him. Do I really want to kill him? Sure, we are far from friends but there is some recognition there. It would be like killing your most hated family member, we don't like each other but we have to at least tolerate each other. Jaxx was a part of the family at the home and he may have acted all cool in public, as if he wasn't one of us, but he was still one of us. Jaxx and I are the only ones from the home in the whole arena, all of the others at least have _some _family back in the District.

"So, you figured it all out, huh?" the voice comes from behind me and I almost think it is Jaxx talking to me. He can't be asleep as it is still only the end of the day and not the beginning of the night.

It was Jaspe though, awoken from his nap to find me staring at the gloomy cornucopia. We really couldn't argue with each other about how stupid this was so I just cross my arms and stare at him. My body language should say it all and Jaspe just sighs.

"I'll explain but don't say anything until we get away from them." Jaspe points to the cornucopia and I nod, my eyes still burning into his green ones.

Jaspe heads towards the forest behind the lean-to. The cornucopia was surrounded by a circle of hard dirt around the right side of the circle was a thin trail of forest until it morphed into the larger chunk of forest. The same went for the hills on the other side but it was mostly grass on the thinner parts between the circle and the edge of the arena. Jaspe walks to the back of the woods when he stops walking and faces me.

"Are you crazy? We are the closest things to the careers!" I'm yelling at him but whispering at the same time, still very much worried about the careers hearing us. I hate having to contain my anger like this, it can't be healthy. "We look like the biggest idiots in the games!"

Jaspe raises an eyebrow as if to ask if I was done. When I don't respond he sighs again, just then responding to my argument. I was right though and nothing he could say was going to change my mind.

"No, we are the smartest tributes in the games but you have to actually listen in order to see that." Jaspe begins, not looking offended in the least that I called him an idiot. "The careers hunt for tributes, right?"

"Yeah," I tap my pointer finger against my elbow to display my impatience. "So?"

"Sooooo, they won't hunt for something so close to them. Plus, who ever looks behind the cornucopia, all the good stuff is in the front." Jaspe smirks a bit at me and I try to replay what he said. Did he make any sense? "We are the smartest tributes in the game, Isis." Jaspe adds simply when he sees me contemplating his idea.

Well maybe what he did say changed my mind but I still don't like being so close to them. Wouldn't it be smarter to just scoot the lean-to back into the woods further instead of having it right at the edge, hidden only by a few shrubs.

"Why can't we push back the lean-to a little further into the woods? That would mean we were the even _smarter_ tributes in the games." I say, reflecting my thoughts.

Jaspe thinks for a minute, thinking that I may have a point. I do have a point and this time I'm pretty damn sure about it. It would be stupid to stay so close to the edge of the woods.

"But you just proved that muttations are more abundant in the woods. We've been here for a full day and we haven't caught one bit of trouble from anything."

"Well now that you said it the gamemakers will send every freaking muttation after us. Nice going, genius." I walk quickly back to the hut, trying not to look like I'm huffed up at him.

The main reason I left was because I knew we could argue both sides so he can just have his way. But when he gets us all in trouble he'll be getting hell from me so I'll just let him think he can be the 'leader' for now. Plus, I'd rather not be in charge of my life and two others so if Jaspe really wants to take that roll then go ahead but I will call him out on something if I think it is our best option. The hut location was arguable but if he wants to go towards the jungle again then it's going to be a hell to the no from me.

My attention goes from the hut, that was growing in size forty feet in front of me, to the Capitol seal in the sky. The anthem plays and it's so loud that I'm reminded of how some tributes are probably asleep, their allies, if they have any, watching the faces of the dead reel by. I wish I was asleep. If I could just sleep through this whole thing whatever happened to the others wouldn't matter because I'd never know.

The anthem ends about that time and I stop walking for a moment. The first face to appear is that of the boy from 3. He never had a chance, I'm sad to say, because even in his picture those brown eyes look frightened. He's in a better place now. Well, maybe. After 3, the girl from 6 appears, Tuscan's district partner. She was killed by the mutts, more then likely, which makes me sad. She could only be a year younger then me but I had allies to protect me while she probably didn't. The girl's pale skin fades into the Capitol seal, ironic because that is the thing that killed her, the Capitol.

My foot hasn't even taken a step forward when a callused hand goes over my mouth and another wraps around my stomach. The instinct to scream is immediate but the person must know this because they close all gaps between their fingers and push their hand even harder onto my mouth. After my screaming fails, I claw at their hairy arm, hoping that the sharp pain will make them let me go. The hand tightens even more and by now the tribute is pulling me towards the edge of the woods, my feet dragging in front of me.

"Isis, stop struggling and shut up." whispers Jaspe harshly in my ear.

My mind doesn't process it's Jaspe at first and my body moves without my brains permission. Jaspe loosens his grip a little, thinking I know him and will stop struggling, and I turn around before punching him in the gut. The home has taught me that if you want to knock someone down with a punch that isn't in the face then go for their gut, the place where a lot of vitals are. Jaspe clutches his stomach, trying to get his breath back but then something replaces the sound of his heaves in my ears.

"Guys, I found something!" it's a voice far off but they were yelling. Either it a really stupid tribute or a career. Wait, career? Oh. My. God.

"Jaspe, the careers-"

"Shhhhhhhhh! God, are you trying to get us killed. Just shut up, Isis." Jaspe is looking at me a little harshly and I smile weakly at him, hoping that if we die that he won't die mad at me.

The careers were just outside the cornucopia and one of the figure's was pointing into the surrounding woods. The figure was taller but even from here the dark twilight contrasted against the dark figure so much that I could see the curves of a grown woman. Only Marlene has those dramatic curves that had to be some sort of surgery. What a rich whore.

The careers were all starting to pile out of the cornucopia, some of them rubbing their eyes from waking up so abruptly to find that someone discovered something that may involve a tribute that they can kill. It's all just one sleep-over for them, isn't it. I hate them so much. Stupid bastards with their damn weapons and their stupid stupidity and arrogance. Just stupid, all of it and all of them!

They are all together, the shadow of weapons in some of their shadow hands, and I notice Jaxx, the shortest of the boys. He looked weak next to the much smaller figure of Elvira who's arms were defined like those of the lumberjacks. I didn't even have any muscles until two years ago, so, yes, Elvira is a hardcore kid.

"Did they notice the hut?" I don't wait for him to answer because I already know they did, "I told you to go further into the woods and did you listen, no. Now we have to lose our stuff over it. Thanks a lo- Althea!" I say her name in a quick breath but it's loud enough to make Jaspe put his hand over my mouth again. He may be slightly kinda attractive but his hand stinks horribly. Just disgusting!

I swat his hand away before looking at the hut, trying to see if Althea is awake yet or not. Well, obviously, I don't have x-ray vision but if she was awake Althea was being rather quiet.

"What about Althea? What are we going to do?" I whisper, turning to Jaspe. I hate having to look for him to make the decisions but I had no idea how we could get to her without being noticed.

"We can't go get her. The careers will see us if we move and, besides, we won't make it in time. We can only hope that they ignore it or that Althea can fight." Jaspe has tears forming in his eyes, probably using all of his will to make them not fall. I knew that he was protective of her but he acted as though he knew her. Poor Jaspe, poor Althea, and damn careers!

"We can't just stand here and watch, though. Althea is a little girl!" my voice is strained, trying to reason him into going through with a suicide mission.

I knew that Althea's fate was probably sealed but maybe we could do something about it. I'd rather let her live for a bit longer instead of die on day three. Wait, do I? If we manage to save her, somehow, she'll just grow even more attached to me and I to her. Her death would be much simpler if it happened today. But it seems unfair to leave her to the hands of the careers. Will she die any easier a day or two from now?

"Jaspe," I look up with tears in my eyes, knowing the solution to our problem. We have to leave her.

He opens his mouth, trying to form words. They never seem to come but he manages to stutter "We can't."

The reality that Althea was going to have to face death alone was too much, I let the tears fall. How selfish are we to watch her die? We promised to keep her safe but she will die only because we woke up before her. The fact that I'm this selfish is rather shocking but I can't kill myself over another when people back home are waiting for me to win. In order to become victor, you have to watch people die. It never occurred to me that a bond could actually be formed between people so rapidly because on television their tears are expected as they are there witnessing death but now I know that bonds have been formed and broken in these arenas.

The careers were now discussing on whether or not to investigate except for Elvira. Her small figure was drifting away from the group, heading off alone towards the hut. I instinctively grab Jaspe's arm and dig my fingernails into him as I think of Althea having to face Elvira alone. It will be a fight for her life and not just her death, she'll realize that we left her before she dies.

"Jaspe, we can still save her!" I whisper, realizing that it is only Elvira advancing on the hut and not everyone else who is still bickering. Elvira was moving just slow enough that maybe we could reach Althea in time to grab our stuff and run, giving ourselves a head start. Althea still had a chance!

Jaspe takes too long to think about the idea so I just start to walk towards the hut. Jaspe reacts immediately by trying to grab the collar of my shirt but I catch the movement out of the corner of my eye and crouch down, narrowly avoiding his grasp.

Jaspe moves behind me but I'm too busy crawling towards the hut to notice anything but the distance between me and the hut. 35 feet. I hear Jaspe shuffling behind me to stay hidden but to drag me back as soon as possible. 30 feet. Elvira's is close enough for me to see her moving figure between the foliage. 25 feet. Jaspe manages to snag my ankle. I try to lose him but his grip is too strong and I'm drug backwards, yet again.

Jaspe stops pulling me when I'm laying down on my back, staring up at him. My body is probably covered in dirt and I kick his knees before turning back onto my stomach. I don't get another chance to crawl away though because that's when I hear the careers. Jaspe grips both of my ankles again but from the tightness of his fist I can tell that he is nervous and scared for Althea. That makes two of us.

The careers were now all running, loud enough and close enough for me to notice them. Elvira must have snuck off too far and the careers noticed her absence. She was no leader of the careers but they don't want her having a kill all to herself. Althea is just another kill to them. How despicable.

"Over here," cries Elvira, much closer then I recently presumed.

The running quickens as does my breath. We are really just going to sit here? Let them kill Althea, take our supplies, and destroy our lean-to? How can Jaspe just sit by and let this all happen?

They are all at the hut now, surrounding it but none daring to go inside. Oh no. They all start to circle it, looking for any supplies and I'm sure that Althea is awake by now, probably woken up by their stomping feet. I almost want to scream, drawing the attention away from Althea and our life sources.

BOOM!

I jump, making Jaspe's grip on me even tighter. How had they killed Althea so quickly? I didn't even hear one of them draw their weapon or drag Althea out. Had she really died that painlessly? No person could experience very much pain in only a second of time. Jaspe is crying silently behind me, his body shaking in anger and sadness. Tears fall from my face too until one scream fixes it all.

"Marlene!"

Marlene? What happened to Marlene? Was, was that her cannon? The idea is so unbelievable that only the metal claw picking up her limp body proves me wrong. But then the claw drops down again and I see something horrifying Marlene's head. The beauty from 4's beautiful head auburn hair had been chopped off by some slick weapon. Had the careers turned on each other?

"You bitch!" screams Tassel, the boy from 1.

Jaspe lets go of my ankles a bit and I drag my legs forward, getting into a crouching position. I can see a bit better and I see a face I'd never thought I'd see again. Her brown eyes were burning, her cropped brown hair in a mess, and the scythe in her hand dripping blood. Yes, a scythe.

Finch, the girl from 11, the agriculture district, had just beheaded Marlene. My mouth drops open as I watch her step closer to the careers. She just killed a career! She just killed a damn career! Finch has gone badass!

She slashes the air with her blood-stained weapon and I realize now that she made the gamemaker's pay attention with her unique weapon. Finch never showed any skills with a scythe but how did she get one, seeing as how there was no station for it in the training center. Did she make one? How is that possible?

I examine the one in her hands and from the looks of it, she had gotten the scythe from the cornucopia. Did I not pay attention in training because that is the most real scythe I've ever seen!

"Kill her, 7!" yells Cimber, trying to get his sword.

Jaxx steps forward but Finch lowers her weapon. What the hell? Jaxx walks towards Finch and takes a spot next to her. Holy fuck to the shit. I can't even process what they have just confirmed as it dawns on everyone, probably in all of Panem, that Jaxx was in cahoots with Finch from 11. But how? They had never even talked to each other in training, at least not when I looked over at them. Surely, the careers would notice him with Finch.

Jaxx raises his weapon and slashes down. No cannon or cry of pain comes but the sound of people running off was louder then anything. Finch and Jaxx take off running, the careers not even hesitating to follow them, their weapons drawn.

They soon disappear into the darkness, heading towards the forest, and that's when I realize something. Althea is still alive. She's still alive! Oh my god! I stand up and race towards our lean-to. Some bushes get in my way but I jump over them easily, too happy to wait any longer to see Althea alive.

I burst through the lean-to door to see Althea. She was asleep. How the hell? How did she sleep through all of that? I ignore that and wrap my arms around her frail body. She wakes up with a start but relaxes when she sees me hugging her desperately. It feels weird, me being the one to hug someone first, but I thought Althea was dead for sure and now here she is, alive.

"What the hell are you doing?" she mumbles, still waking up.

"I thought you were going to die!" I begin before proceeding to tell her briefly about what had happened in the last fifteen minutes or so.

"We have to leave then, right?" Althea says, already gathering our jackets and food.

I nod, too busy packing up my backpack to speak. The zipper only manages to zip halfway but we manage to fit everything in there except for two of the jackets. I put mine on, trying to hurry because the careers could be back any minute.

"Where's Jaspe?" Althea asks, putting on the other jacket as well.

Yeah, where was he? I'd heard him following me through the bushes but he never did make it to the tent. What if the careers killed him? What if he was also in cahoots with Jaxx and Finch?

"Right here,"

I turn around to see Jaspe in the doorway. Althea is about to hug him when we both notice what is in his hands. Supplies from the cornucopia. I'd almost forgotten that the careers had abandon all of their supplies. It was wide open, free for us to take whatever we want.

I drop the backpack and burst out the of the tent, racing towards the cornucopia. I didn't care if the careers were close enough to see me or as far away from me as the sun but I was going to get what I came for. The cornucopia no longer looked gloomy or threatening, it called to me like an opportunity knocking at my door.

Jaspe and Althea are behind me but I'm much faster then both of them, especially because of my head start. The side of the cornucopia ends into the mouth of the cornucopia, a large cave-like mountain of supplies. My mind is racing but my eyes slow down just enough to search the supplies.

"What are you looking for?" Jaspe asks from behind me.

"What do you think?" I say, lifting up a pack of knives.

I search in silence for another two minutes when Althea pokes my shoulder. I don't turn around at first, thinking I'll find it before she gets annoyed with my unresponsiveness. Althea pokes me again and again until she is rapidly poking all over my back. Gosh, she can be persistently annoying!

"What?" I turn around, mad that she is wasting my time when the careers could be back any minute.

Althea strains to lift up an axe off of the ground and says as sweetly as humanly possible, "Is this what you're looking for?" I nod before yanking it out of her hands, not wanting her to damage my precious axe. Bring it on careers.

**Sorry for the kinda late update! I'm having to finish up my summer's reading assignment and the book was so boring which left me uninspired. But I managed to write this and I hope you all were surprised! Surprised enough to review? **

**The reviews picked up for a while but now they are slowing down. Maybe you could review about what you think will happen next because I really need inspiration at the moment. Thanks and the next update may be on time or not, depending on if I write it before going on my vacation. **

**Oh and I almost forgot to thank my latest two reviewers, NYCstarlet and BR2607. I almost went through with killing Althea but I just couldn't because I had another idea for her death :) Oh and thanks NYC starlet for reading the whole story and I really hope it isn't a bad thing that Isis reminds you of Katniss.**


	14. Enough

**Bah! I'm back. My birthday was on the 4****th**** and I just now got my laptop. No longer having to share a computer with my sister, I was inspired immediately and wrote this rather sad chapter. The f-bomb is very common and we see characters developing. I managed to squeeze in a plot device that was supposed to be for later but I knew that this chapter would be short without it. This chapter is sad though for obvious reasons and we will be down to the final 8 by the end so here it goes plus read the bottom author's note as it is important!**

**Enough**

"You did grab some knives, right, Jaspe?" I say, gripping my axe securely.

I've been very possessive and protective with the axe lately so Althea was carrying all of the food and water while the older kids held the weapons. We did make sure she was between us though so she was protected. I'd taken the rear but that's mostly because if the careers come looking for us I'll be the first to know it and the first to attack. Oh boy, I can't wait for them to attack.

The axe is my forte, my friend. I know an axe like, well, how I know an axe. The way you handle it firmly and your thumb tucked in safely. The blade pointed away from you and towards the targeted tree or, in the Hunger Games, at the enemy tribute.

"_Noooo_, I grab a fucking hovercraft." Jaspe says with a load of sarcasm in his voice.

"No need to be so nice about it, Jaspe." I sarcastically say, purposely making the sarcasm very obvious in my tone. Two could play the sarcasm game, buster!

"Will you two shut up before the careers hear us?" Althea snaps, seeing that Jaspe was about to speak again.

Althea had been shaken up since her almost death even though she had been asleep the whole damn time! I just can't even fathom how a person can sleep like a log through her almost death. It just boggles my mind and my mind is rarely boggled but it seems to be actually very common these last couple of hours.

Other the Althea's sleep habits, Jaxx had joined the super bitch, Finch. What the fuck, Jaxx?! Weren't you the weak guy who betrayed us all when you joined the careers? What the hell have you become? Charming can really get you this far? Those are the questions I'd ask him if I saw him again between me slapping his head a few times. He's no stranger to me 'abusing him', as he likes to call it, but he shocked everyone when he betrayed his home but then he shocked everyone again when he betrayed the careers. It was just a 'what the fuck' moment.

We all become silent as we hike through the wondrous fucking hills of the arena. They looked all daisy-filled and happy from a distance but when you are trekking through them you find that the grass scratches against your bare legs, most of your view is blocked by gigantic pillows of grass, and you feel like you're going to pass out every time you walk up even the shortest of hills. Damn hills, what couldn't Jaxx and Finch run here so we could go back towards the wonderful forest.

The hiking continues for a few more hours or so, sometime passing with Jaspe and I arguing about whose fault it was that we had to head this way until we both had to basically tell each other that it was the only way _to_ go without facing the careers. Althea is silent, having to adjust the three backpacks slung over her shoulders frequently. I would offer to help her but I find that the backpack restricts my arm movement with the axe and I just don't want to risk me not getting a good swing at Cimber or Tassel head. Poise and Elvira can just be killed by Jaxx because the boys are the main problem in these games. Bastards are twice my size but I have, as Althea would probably put it if she was in a cheerful mood, twice the awesomeness.

"Where are we going anyways?" Althea's high-pitched voice slices through the silence quickly. I'm actually grateful to talk again since it was getting boring, just walking around the hills, watching the mountains grow in size. The boredom had made me refer to my mind that was constantly worrying about my death but it'll be hard to kill me if I have my axe. Oh boy I wish someone would attack me, just so I could prove to them all that I'm a strong woman, not a pitiful girl.

"Away from the careers and the two they are after." Jaspe says simply.

Jaspe hadn't been the happiest of campers lately either. When Althea had survived he had walked off, avoiding the both of us but leading us as well. He was positive she was dead but I had fought him, knowing she had a chance. Jaspe must hate himself for almost letting her die in order for us to survive but Althea doesn't know and she'll never need to know. Jaspe had slowed down after a bit just before I had criticized him over the knives. I'm sure he was secretly grateful that I was talking to him at all, knowing that I know about his sort of betrayal.

"The other two, meaning Jaxx from my district and Finch from 11. I can't believe it." I say the last sentence under my breath but they hear it over the chirping of insects and faint rustles of the leaves blowing through the light breeze.

"You mean you didn't know they were allies?" Althea asks, looking up at me. Her face was red and a single sweat drop was slowly making its way down the right side of her forehead.

"No. Did you? They don't seem to really mesh together in my mind."

""Why not?"

"Jaxx is a charming weakling and Finch is, apparently, a strong killer. Not much of a connection forming in my head."

"How is he weak? I saw him lift 120 pounds in training."

He lifted 120? That's more than I weigh. He sure doesn't act like he is strong and I've never seen him work out. How have I been so blind? Jaxx is not a weak boy who teases me but a manipulative bastard who could probably beat me to a pulp. No, he isn't. I've got my axe so let him come at me with his fist because my axe will be waiting for him. Oh, yes, the heavy blade will chop right through the liar I've been forced to live with for 16 years of my life.

"He never seemed like much of a threat at the home." I shrug.

Althea looks too tired for me to handle so I yank a backpack off of her arm, the backpack basically leaping into my arms. Althea doesn't even look up as she sling the other strap over her right shoulder, looking like the smaller children who went to my school except for the other back she drags behind her.

It's quiet for a moment while Althea thinks of something to say. She obviously doesn't like silence but I've learned from the flower children that children have low tolerance for silence. I wonder what they are doing. It's not late so they are watching me or watching the careers kill Jaxx and Finch. Rose and Lily will act brave if they watch him die but they'll all cry before bed tonight if one of us dies. Well, let's just hope that someone will mourn my death if I die. I repeat,_ if_ I die.

"What's the home like Isis?" Althea finally says, clearly finished with talking about Jaxx.

I sigh before saying anything, needing to think of something because every kid at every community homes in all of Panem have their eyes glued to the television screens, seeing if my home is nicer than theirs or if I'm appreciative for what I do have.

"Better than the Hunger Games. I have family there and I think that my life is damn close to perfect." I gaze up into the sky so the Capitol can play up the dramatic angle and so it will be filmed for all of the home kids to see. "I don't see why everyone looks down on us. The home brings me closer to people then I'd like but it's nice, in a way. Little Rose is a spitfire but she cried when I was reaped and poor Lily has so many bruises I'm not sure if she is tan, pale, or tinted purple. Astrid is about to leave the home if she can make it through the next reaping and I kind of owe her an apology for stealing her reaping dress from her. Sorry, Astrid." I smile, happy to think of a good memory and to finally address Astrid and sort of Fiona since I had lied to her as well. "Oh and Fiona, my caretaker, she is the best mother. I just love her more than anyone but with so many kids around it's hard for all of us to manage to hold her attention for too long. One minute with her is better than having a whole day of paradise though. Maybe I could sum up the community home like this: It's the best place to grow up in all of Panem, in my opinion." I look down from the sky to see that we have stopped walking and the two teenagers are watching me, intrigued at my story of the home. "But that's just my opinion."

"Your life sounds nice." Jaspe says, his eyes glazed over from not blinking for so long.

"Really? How so?" I ask him, very curious as to how my life of being poor and teased is 'nice'.

"Well, you have friends, a loving 'mother', and a pretty decent home. Better than the shit whoever made us all gave me. The dads gone, moms doesn't do shit, teenage sister is pregnant, and my kid brother is on the verge of starvation. Well, now that I'm gone the poor thing probably has to sell everything we own in order to survive." Jaspe sighs very deeply and looks down at his pack of knives.

"This is ridiculous." Althea cries, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"What?" I ask immediately, worried she is going to say her life is even worse than poor Jaspes.

"I was with my family only a couple of weeks ago and now…." Althea trails off and looks down at my axe. We were kids but now we are killing.

"It's the way it is." Jaspe breaths out. He sounds defeated, weak, and vulnerable as he utters those five words that I've heard many times in my years. 'It's the way it is' comes second place to' life isn't fair'. Fuck life.

"It shouldn't be." I say simply, leaving the words to hang in the silence.

The next few days past by very uneventfully. We don't talk much and it is mostly us eating and drinking our water. I'm sure we have given enough action but no cannon had rung since Marlene so Jaxx and Finch must have got away because no one can live that long if they are on the verge of death. Most of our conversations past by quickly as we all don't want to grow attached to each other. I failed that test though. Althea is like a Rose or Lily to me, always asking for help or asking me questions about life. Jaspe has become his own person in my life, the first boy I've talked to without having to tease constantly. I'm sure we are all close to friends but we can't be in the arena.

We had made it to the mountains an hour ago but the furry knee-length jackets had covered our bodies when we had reached the end of the hills. The mountains were covered in snow but no snow was falling. Even from the jungle, I could see the mountains but I hadn't once seen any fog, clouds, or precipitation over the mountains or anywhere else in fact since my arrival.

"Let's take a break." Breaths Althea, sweating despite the freezing cold.

We all plop down on the shallow snow that was gradually getting deeper as we walked. Currently it could get about halfway up my shoes but I knew that the farther we went up the mountain, the further the snow would go up on my body. If only we could head back but the careers could be right on our trail right now, knowing that whoever was in that tent saw them and was on the move.

I've just got out a granola bar when Jaspe blurts out, "I think it's time we go our separate ways."

"What?" I demand, not even thinking about what he said until after yelling. "What do you mean _separate?_ It's only Day 6."

"Isis, 15 people have died already. That isn't normal! We all know it's time for us to leave before it gets too difficult." Jaspe looks as if he is about to tear up but I can't tell with his face being so red from all of the walking.

I try to think of a good reason why we shouldn't but I can't. Well, except that Althea can't defend herself alone and I don't think Jaspe will take her. Will I? Can I? Should I? I don't know. I look over at the girl who has gone completely silent for once in the past few days and her olive skin is flushed to a sickly pale color. We all know she is the weak link and I doubt she has many sponsors. Oh poor girl.

I look over at Jaspe to see if he really means it but he has turned away from me, staring up at the mountain. Jaspe looks ashamed but he knows he had to be the one to say it because I'd never have the heart to basically give up on Althea because that is what this is, dropping the dead weight. I work better alone, not having to worry about others, but Althea will be on my mind the entire time. She will have to go with someone.

Jaspe grabs his knives and his pack, preparing to leave. This is when Althea pipes in with a voice that could break a heart with its sadness and desperation, "You're going to leave us? Leave me? I'll- I'll die, Jaspe. Please."

"Althea, we can't stay together forever." Jaspe voice crack so the second word and the rest of his sentence is as hurt as Althea's. How can he leave, forcing me to leave as well?

"But, Jaspe, please." Althea has tears streaming down her face even though she isn't making any crying sounds, only pleading. Pleading for her life. "I won't survive."

"You'll have to, kiddo." Jaspe says, tears running down his cheeks as well. How can he leave her if he is saddened by it? Why can't we just stick it out together? Would it really be all that bad?

"But, Jaspe-"Althea is cut off by Jaspe.

"Bye, Althea and Isis. I'll never forget you two." Jaspe watches us for a second before dashing off into the distance, heading parallel to the mountains and hills. Gone like a leaf in the wind.

Althea looks at me, looking for help. I have nothing for her. My mouth opens to say something, anything, but nothing comes and I just watch her, tears pooling in my eyes as well because these are my last moments with Althea forever and I have nothing to say. I can't say good luck because I'll need that luck and if I tell her that I hope she wins then I'll die in the process. False hope isn't what Althea wants; she wants my sympathy and my help which I can no longer offer to her. Oh god.

"I guess this is it, then? I guess you'll abandon me just like he did." Althea points in Jaspe's direction with pursed lips. "It must be good, to have strength because you will have no problem leaving me, the kid who is about to die. Thank, Isis. I'll never forget you just like Jaspe never will, Jaxx never will, Rose, Lily, Fiona, Astrid. All of them will remember you but not me, Althea! I'll just die and no one will care. Fine!" Althea is screaming now, probably attracting attention from other tributes.

She storms over to her backpack, angrily unzips it, and grabs something out of it. I start to walk towards her but stop when she turns around. Althea, my now former ally, has a knife to her stomach.

"Althea, don't!" I yell in a sharp breath.

She can't kill herself! It's a quitter's way out and Althea is no quitter. She is a fighter who deserves to live just as much as anyone else. But do I want her to live instead of me? Do I want the girl in front of me to live while I sit back and die? The right thing to do would be to let her live and kill myself but how far would she make it? Not far enough to become victor so my answer would be to let her die. If she wants to then let her be but she is only fourteen years old so is it really right to let her make such a huge decision. I'd rather see her go down fighting then like this.

"Why? I've got nothing to live for so wouldn't this be easier? Easier for you to win, Isis." Althea cocks her head to the side and I see the crazy glint in her eye. Althea isn't in her right mind. That knife shouldn't be near a crazy person!

"Althea, I'm sorry for anything that made you do this but it isn't right. I'll t-take you with me." I stutter, suddenly realizing that I'm talking someone who needs to die in order for me to live out of killing themselves. How horrifyingly ironic.

"You're sorry? That's all? Sorry that I was reaped? Sorry that I'm the weakest link? Sorry that I never had a chance? Sorry that I'm holding a knife to my stomach?" Althea says in disbelief. Althea isn't like this, at least she didn't use to be. What went wrong? Did us having to abandon her trigger something within her?

"Althea, please don't do this. You can still stop yourself." I say, holding my hand out towards her. _Please, drop the knife and take my hand, Althea. _My mind begs Althea and I hope it transmits through my eyes as well.

"Don't come closer," she deepens the knife into her stomach to show she means business. I drop my hand, take a step back, and hold my hands up in the air as if I'm surrendering. "I've had enough of it, Isis." Althea is crying much harder now and I try to suppress any more of my tears so she doesn't go over the edge. "Enough of my shit life. Being reaped was the best thing that ever happened to me, Isis! My life is fucking shit and it's all because of my shit family. My father, 'my protector', treated me like an object and I was to do anything and everything to please him. That bastard is a fucking physco and it's not just him but my mother just sits there, watching. Oh god, it was awful. I can't take it anymore, Isis!" Althea tries to compose herself; wiping away her tears and looking me straight in my eyes, her brown irises no longer crazy but horrified. "Death will heal all of my scars. I've had enough and this knife will take it all away."

Althea lifts the knife up and aims it at her stomach. I dash forward, no longer caring if she stabs herself because if I can reach her then maybe I can get the knife away from her. The knife starts to rush forward and that when I tackle Althea. Blood shots into my face through as the knife plunges into Althea's heart perfectly. She knew her death would have been slow so she made it quick.

"Oh god, Althea, no." I cry, sitting up and watching the blood pour out and stain her outfit. I lift up her body so that she is flailed out across my knees, staring up at me.

"Isis, I've had enough." Croaks out Althea, her voice so much different from the cracked and strained voice from before. My tears instantly fall and it causes Althea to squint from my tears falling onto her helpless body.

"I'm so sorry, Althea. I should have saved you." I cry, rocking her body back and forth as if I can shake some life into her. Blood leaks out of her wound and onto my hands.

I lean over, putting my head on her stomach and whisper 'I'm so sorry' over and over. She hasn't die yet so when she strokes my hair it causes me to sit up, amazed that she has the strength to win.

"You'll make a good victor, Isis. Show them all that my death wasn't for nothing. Be remembered." Althea breaths out the words, watching me kindly as if this is a happy moment.

"Althea, I'll show them all." I say this strongly, the tears still falling but the sadness leaves my voice just long enough to make her this promise. "You won't be forgotten, Althea."

Her eyes fade and she manages to shut her eyes as death takes over her life. A corpse lies on my knees now, not Althea. The girl who I'd come to actually love was now gone, dying by her own hands because of her father. She'll never smile again, she'll never ask me anymore questions, and she'll never be anymore. Yet, Althea is more free than ever.

BOOM!

"I'll never forget you Althea," I whisper and look up at the sky, "The world will remember your name, Althea."

I lean down and hug her body, recognizing now only her appearance because that glow about her has faded away. Her soul is free now though and maybe that knife really did help her. I kiss her cheek and try to let go but I can't, knowing her body will be taken away by the Capitol's hovercraft. I don't want her to be taken back to her molester father. She can't stay here though. Poor Althea may never be free.

"I'm so sorry." I whisper yet again because I know she can't be left here.

I release her, allowing her soul to drift away for good. The knife in her heart sticks out against her small body and I almost want to remove it but that knife is Althea's now as it took away all of her internal pain and scars. That knife is not mine to take.

"Poor girl," I look up from my sit position to see someone I'd thought I'd never see alive again. Jaxx Stacee.

"Jaxx?" my voice is destroyed, hollow and quiet. Jaxx is standing over Althea and me with his hands in his pockets and his head hung, the dark locks going into his eyes. I don't even care enough about how he got here because I know that Althea's final rant is what attracted him to here. Finch should be nearby.

"Hey," Jaxx says, his eyes not leaving Althea's face.

Cant' he just go away? Jaxx doesn't know Althea so why does he pretend to care? No weapon is in his hands though so he isn't about to attack me. Besides, a sneak attack was very possible so he isn't here to kill me.

"Please, just leave me alone Jaxx." I beg, hating how vulnerable I am to him but Althea can't be left alone right now. I want to make sure that she is left in peace, not getting ransacked by other tributes such as Jaxx before being taken away.

"Well I need to ask you something. We both do actually." Jaxx finishes just as Finch materializes next to him, looking down on me as well. Crafty bitch.

"I don't want to be bothered so why don't you two just leave before the careers come?" I say simply, my voice gaining strength. I stopped crying when Jaxx came up because I do not cry in front of people, Althea being one of my only exceptions as she was about to kill herself and eventually did.

"The careers are taken care of." Finch smirks for about the billionth time and I just want to punch her for smirking over a dead body. Not just any dead body either but Althea's.

"What do you want to ask me then?" I say, looking back down at Althea who looks paler then I've ever seen her. She escaped death only to meet death by her own hands a few days later. Oh god, how could she do this to me?

Finch and Jaxx look at each other, not having to look up or down at one another as they were the same height and Jaxx decides to answer, "We would like to know if you want to join our little alliance?"

I look up from Althea's dead body to see them looking down on me like everyone else has for the whole of my life. I will not be looked down upon any longer. No one will ever think I'm lesser of them because now I have more to fight for then the rest of them. I will survive.

Abandoning Althea as Jaspe always planned for us to do, I stand tall. The tears have faded away and my hands are now caked with the blood of a 14 year old girl who I loved like a sister. The world is full of evil and I've not had enough, like Althea. I'll fight it and the victor will rise up with the name that everyone will remember: Isis Swift.

***Tear* I had to. Now, I'll get to it and ask you guys some stuff.**

**Do you want Isis to accept or decline the alliance offer?**

**Who should be the next to die?**

**How do **_**you **_**think Jaxx and Finch allied with each other**** and why would they choose each other****?**

**Thanks so much because if you answer those I'll get much inspiration even though I have some ideas for all of those questions answers but I'm open for opinions. Hope you guys enjoyed this sad chapter and please vote on my poll which can be found on the old profile. Thanks for reading!**


	15. We or I?

**We or I?**

Have you ever had to make a decision that could change your life for better or worse? Probably. Did that exact same question also make the decision whether you live or die? Doubt it. One question can save me. One question can kill me. One fucking question. Now only to come up with an answer.

Jaxx and Finch are still watching me, still no weapons catching my eye. Were they really trying to help? Why would they want _me?_ Finch has obviously proved to all of Panem that she can defend herself. Jaxx just needs to show me he has potential because all he has done that is noteworthy is proven to be an incredible liar and manipulator. Tricking the whole damn country couldn't really be an easy task though.

"Why should I join you?" I say, bending down to pick up my axe but keeping my eyes on them, knowing they are quick on their feet. No one moves when I stand up straight and have my axe gripped firmly in my hand. I'd probably slice them in half if either of them made a sudden movement. I suggest they don't sneeze.

"We need you," Jaxx says. He glances down at Althea's body but I don't follow his gaze because her death has to just leave my brain even though her words are being memorized in the back of my mind. Oh that poor girl never had a chance but it all became too real tonight. Jaxx raises an eyebrow, "You obviously need us."

"I don't need anyone, Jaxx." I snap quickly, angry that he is implying I'm desperate for whatever they may have stolen from the careers.

"Yeah, we can _totally _see that you're doing just fine." Finch says, also moving her gaze to Althea. Oh, that bitch. I'll chop that smirk right off of her small face.

"Don't look at her like that." I growl, my instincts suddenly taking over. I want to kill them both so much, both for my survival and just because they are so damn inconsiderate for Althea. Jaxx may have acted like he was sad about Althea's death but I now know his lying skills are top notch.

"Like what?" Finch cocks her head to the side as if she doesn't know what I'm talking about. Finch is just the worst type of person, less like me the more I talk to her.

"Like she didn't mean anything. You're not any better than her, _Finch_." I spit poison into her name but make sure it doesn't sound like I've never used her name before. I want her to know I know who the hell she is and what she is.

Finch stomps forward, just slow enough that my arm doesn't swing up to chop her in half. Damn reflexes need an upgrade. "Listen here, _Isis_," her poison is less obvious but much more threatening_. _"We don't need to let you live. Besides," her voice softens and her eyes aren't narrowed at me anymore, "I know I'm better than that," she jabs a finger at Althea. No Althea's body. "Corpse,"

Her words sting a bit. Actually, a lot a bit. She knows that Althea meant quite a bit to me so she made sure to remind me of her death. It all crashes into me how it all lead up to her death. If only she had aimed at her stomach and when jumping my hand might have knocked the knife out of her hand. Should have, could have, and would have. Her death might have been preventable but she wouldn't have lived much longer with the torment of her past.

"Finch!" shrieks Jaxx from behind her, bewilderment on his face. Huh? What's up with Liar McLiar Pants? Jaxx pushes past Finch and comes face to face with me, as to me as he was at the reaping when I was leading him to the 18 year old section. He seriously needed a breath mint. "She doesn't mean any of that, Isis. We just need you for now. It's the final 8 and we have a plan to take the careers out. We just need the numbers and it will work perfectly. Please, Isis, we need you." Jaxx looks down and slowly looks back up at me with shiny eyes. "I need you." The last sentence he says with a small smile and I shoot one back at him. He was acting dramatic for the cameras and he was overshooting it by a ton.

An attack on the careers, huh? Would it really work? Tassel and Poise from 1 and Cimber and Elvira from 2 are in the alliance then there is Jaxx, Finch, Jaspe, and then me. Do I have a chance at winning? I can surely beat Poise, Jaxx, and then the maybes would be Jaspe and Elvira. Finch and the career boys are the ones everyone is watching, very unlikely but I may be on the radar now as well.

"Fine," I say quickly, afraid to change my mind. I've learn that my instincts are usually right and I'd hate to start second guessing myself now. Besides, I could kill them both with my axe if things get too tense or threatening for me.

Really?" Jaxx says a large smiling growing across his face. I guess he didn't believe that I'd join with him in an alliance. Finch even smiles, replacing that smirk that fits her face so well.

"Why not?" I casually say, trying to see if an answer could pop into my head quick enough for me to change my mind. Nothing comes to my mind quick enough so I allow my body to relax, suddenly realizing what a blessing this alliance could be.

"Well, we could kill you in your sleep." Finch suggests. The smirk appears on her face again and I know that a smile will be a rare occasion with her. This alliance could also turn out to be a curse.

Jaxx looks back at Finch as if to say 'Really' in a sarcastic tone. He says nothing to her though and goes back to me, "We won't though."

BOOM!

"Let's go," Jaxx whispers, his voice much quieter then before the cannon went off. "Hurry,"

I quickly gather all of my things, never allowing my eyes to trace over Althea who must be put into my past. I'll never forget her though because it would kill me if one day I woke up without remembering Althea. Of course, that isn't very much possible if I don't win because I won't have long enough to forget.

I finish gathering all of my supplies and now it's just me waiting on Finch and Jaxx to get their things which just happen to be buried under a thin layer of snow nearby. Finch's scythe looks so much deadly then my axe but I know that the axe firmly held between my knuckles is my weapon so I shouldn't be concerned with Finch and her grim reaper blade. Jaxx comes up with a short sword, maybe a foot long and rather thick like my axe. It looks so out of place in the arms of the charming community home boy I once knew but Jaxx seems to have plenty of secrets.

"We ready to go?" I ask, secretly wanting them to take Althea away. Let her body go back to her disgusting father for all I care as her soul isn't trapped in Panem anymore.

I hate caring so much but I would hate to not care. Jaspe didn't care. I hope he hates himself when her face appears in that sky tonight. I hope he hates himself _so _much that _he _can't live himself anymore and kills himself. Yes, I was teasing him not an hour ago but once he abandoned us it was all over between Jaspe and me. Jaxx was my main target but now he is my ally, Jaspe was my ally but now he is one of my main targets. Life is funny that way. I wish I meant the funny haha way but no, I mean the horrifyingly ironic way.

We start walking away from the mountains, nothing but the sound of snow crunching beneath our shoes filling the air. You wouldn't know it from all of the music put in by the Capitol once they edited everything but the arena is very quiet. No one is dying right now, no one screaming for nonexistent help, no cannon booming. We are all just trapped in this silent bubble of death. How not haha funny.

"How_ exactly_ do you plan on killing the careers?" I ask about 20 minutes later.

Jaxx says he doesn't know but doesn't open its mouth so it sounds like a single growl with some different pitches in it. Looks like Jaxx isn't as talkative now that we are in arena and he knows that two deadly girls are following him, both of our weapons ready.

"We ambush them," Finch says this as if it is the most obviously thing in the world. Bitch. I like her less and less as time goes by but I know we must take out the careers and in order to do that we have to work together. For now, at least.

"How, genius?" I sneer, happy to see a flaw in her plan. Her plan being about as vague as possible.

"Wait till they go to sleep and then kill them, quickly of course so they make no noises. Yes, that will be lovely." Finch smiles, rubbing her callused hands together as if the idea of killing them pleases her. I shouldn't be talking, plotting to kill Jaspe and the careers, but it isn't like the idea sends me into a cheery mood. Finch is just sick.

"Someone will be on guard." I look back at her and tilt my head a bit. "How are we going to get past someone who can watch us 'ambush' them? It's a suicide mission." I insist, my teeth revealed as if I was an animal threatening her.

"Not if we kill the guard before he knows we are there." Jaxx boldly says, peeping in with more confidence then I might have had if I was him.

"See?" Finch nods her head towards Jaxx, "We know what we're doing."

"Yeah, a real match made in heaven." I sarcastically sneer, mad that Jaxx chose the dunderhead as an ally. She isn't a ditz because they are usually weak or rely on others so Finch is more like the female version of one of the idiot popular boys at the school. None of them pay me any mind so it is easy for me to study their awful behavior. Really, how hard is it to not dare each other to do the stupidest shit I've ever seen? Ugh, I don't even try to bother with them anymore.

We walk in mostly silence, Finch and I muttering under our breaths about how stupid each other is, and it gets boring fast. Jaxx strikes up a few conversations about meaningless stuff but Finch doesn't seem interested and Jaxx knows enough about me to have to really think about what he doesn't know.

"What's your favorite color?" he asks me at about the time we have reached the middle of the hill section, finishing our planned ten minute run only seconds ago. No wonder it took me so long to reach the mountains the first time, we were talking so fast our feet slowed down.

"I already told you Jaxx. It's leaf green." I sigh, tired of answering the same childish question over and over again. Is the arena really this boring?

"Well then…" he thinks about a new question for a moment before coming up with, "Why is green your favorite color?"

"See this axe?" I lift the weapon up slightly, "It chops down trees with _green leaves."_

"What is it with you and trees?" Finch snarls, angry with herself for even asking but glares at me anyways, waiting for an answer. You can tell by her eyes that she doesn't want me to ask her anything else after answering.

"It's in my blood, Finch. District 7 instincts or whatever." I smile and look straight at her, "What's it with you and the scythe?" The sour face she makes when I force her answer the question is priceless, as if she has smelled a horrible smell after eating something tart. It suited her well though, matching her sour personality.

"I like it." She growls through gritted teeth. Oh I loved that! Pissing her off has made my day. Well, it isn't enough to block Althea's speech from my mind.

"Yeah, why do you use a scythe, Finch? 11 is like agriculture or something, right?" Jaxx says, obviously more interested in her weapon of choice then my favorite color.

"It's called learning, children, try it sometimes." Finch huffs before quickly turning her head away from us. I notice that she is clutching the scythe to her chest too.

"How did you get a scythe though?" I pursue the topic, actually becoming interested in her mysterious reactions.

"It's called dealing." Finch looks at us and sees us staring at her. Finch's face relaxes so much that I didn't know her dark skin was so smooth. Finch, for once, is surprised. "I went to the Gamemaker's, made them give me a scythe in the cornucopia, I got it, and I sure gave them a show didn't it?"

Finch….. made a deal with the Gamemakers? Who does that? The Gamemakers are the worst people alive, planning our deaths now as we speak, and Finch decides to interact with them directly and voluntarily? This bitch is crazier than I thought. How has she made it through eighteen years of life without being diagnosed as crazy? She didn't look like a crazy person when she was reaped, aside from the fact that she looked happy.

"Why a scythe though? You couldn't have possibly trained with that." Jaxx continues his questioning, more confident than before because of Finch's relaxation. Good, maybe she'll kill him first whenever she snaps.

"It's not that hard to train with! I don't see why you have to train for years with a sword when all you have to do is swing and hope you hit something. God, people are so stupid!" Finch is flinging her hands everywhere as if to spread the word of her speech to the whole world. I actually find myself smiling at her rant, noticing some of our similarities again.

"Oh," Jaxx and I say at the same time like most community home kids do whenever they run out of things to say. Finch has left us speechless.

We walk in complete silence this time, Jaxx too fearful to bring up anymore useless questions. Finch has her arms crossed the whole time, even daring to loosen her grip on the scythe. An occasional tear slides down my cheek, cooling my red skin, as I remember Althea, having nothing else on my mind.

I've never ran this much in my life, running at top speed just to keep up with my allies for ten minutes and walking for the next five before doing it all over again. It's an efficient way to travel but it isn't exactly easy. We reach the end of the hills at about midnight. The hovercraft will be here soon to display Althea's face to the world.

"No talking," Finch mouths to us, sliding her finger across her throat to indicate either we'll be killed if we talk or she'll kill us if we talk. Maybe it's both? I shake my head, desperate for peace, and crouch down alongside Jaxx and Finch, the people my mind has just now realized are my allies.

I stare at the cornucopia that looks just as gloomy as it did the night I woke up to find Jaspe and Althea staring down at me. I've traded Althea and Jaspe for Finch and Jaxx. I'd rather have Jaxx and Althea in an alliance, personally, seeing as how I like them better out of the four anyways. Finch and Jaspe can just go fuck themselves.

Figures were lying on the ground just outside the cornucopia, supplies dotted around what I presume are the careers. No one was sitting against the cornucopia walls so we were most likely the only ones awake in the general cornucopia area. It looks kind of peaceful when I see it. That is until I see something else.

Hanging on a rope of the tail of the cornucopia was a body. The limp body was hanging in midair and it looked like a boys so it was either Tassel or Cimber. Why hadn't the hovercraft got the body? Why did the careers hang him? Wait, it could be Jaspe up there. Why would Jaspe come here? If it was a career, why did they kill one of their own? Jaspe surely couldn't have done it and I think this body is taller than that of the one hanging but from this distance I'll never be able to tell.

Finch taps my shoulder and I look over at her to see that she has already sent Jaxx on his way towards the careers. What the hell is she thinking? We don't even know if they are asleep or not! We just sent Jaxx to his death! I can't very well call him back. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

I stop my inner rant for one second to head back into reality. Finch is pushing me forward towards the careers as well. I lean back, flinging us both onto the ground. I will not be bullied into my death! Finch can shove all she wants but I will not be going until I know this shit is safe!

"Go!" yells Finch in the loudest whisper possible, breathing heavy from being pushed back.

"No," I mouth, swiping my hands over top each other just in case she can't see me. I want there to be some clarity in our 'relationship' if that is what you want to call this jacked of piece of shit we have together.

Finch springs up so fast I get my axe out. By then, though, she has already dashed out into the open field, catching up with Jaxx. Maybe she wasn't trying to get me killed. Maybe she was willing to risk her life if the careers would die. Maybe I am too.

I get my axe out and dash out into the field, not crouching in the least unlike the two in front of me. My feet don't make a sound except for the very faint crunching of some dead leaves that had fallen from the forest and been carried here form the wind. The figure shave turned into more detailed career by now and I see that they are all asleep.

Wait. I see Tassel and Poise but where is Elvira or Cimber. One of them is probably hanging from the horn but the other…..

"Ha!" We all turn towards Elvira who has jumped out of the shadows next to the cornucopia. She holds a knife in her hand but this doesn't stop Jaxx from running at her. Elvira prepares to slash the knife when I notice something. Movement.

We had made the worst mistake. We had just signed our own death warrant. We have just attacked the strongest people in the arena. We are idiots. In that second that I see the careers stand up we turns into I. I need to get out of here. I need to abandon my 'allies' who so foolishly thought we could kill the careers without any trouble. That is what makes my feet take off into the forest, abandoning my alliance and only caring for myself anymore. Fuck we, I am me and me is pretty damn important.

**So sorry about the wait! I have found out that school is very hard! :) It was pretty hard to squeeze in writing after school and plus I have my SYOT and the 24/24 projects I am. Obviously, I'm busy. Updates will be about once a week now unless I get a break from school. Thanks to my reviewers and I really hope you liked this chapter.**


	16. Cruel, Selfish, and Guilty?

** Cruel, Selfish, and Guilty?**  
My legs are no longer separate twin's roaming together as one, they are burning machines. I run as if I am floating on air, no feeling below my waist at all. I guess you could say my legs were on fire but I only feel the sudden rush of wind blowing my hair back as I dash towards the forest, knowing my legs will give out if they had to run up and down the hills.  
The careers have a wide choice of who they should attack. Jaxx and Finch may have been closer to them but I am running directly in front of them now to reach the damn forest. Let's just hope they are too groggy to think quickly because if they start running after me they will catch me within seconds.  
Jaxx and Finch fight. I run. It may seem as though this is ironic because I am or seem tougher then Jaxx but it could also be the most obvious thing in the world, I am not selfless. I've gone through life without family and my friends were never close. I was born alone. My first memory was of Fiona, someone who took care of me as a job. I've never had to think about caring for others.  
Until now, I had heard nothing but my feet pounding against the ground where so many had died during the bloodbath and the fast thump of my heartbeat but now I hear the chaos. Metal was pounding against metal, cries of pain and rage, orders passing through tribute's lips, and my name being called.  
They wanted me to come back, they needed me to help them. But I did not want to help because if my legs slowed then I would turn to meet blackness because as soon as I stop my life will end. Jaxx and Finch have to take care of themselves just like I do at this point.  
My name is much softer when I pass through the forest line. Everything is muffled and now the sound of my heartbeat has come back. It's a deep sound and I know that the adrenaline is making my legs go numb because I feel like this every time I go out into the woods, whether running for my life or just to cut down the trees back in 7.  
The heat in my face reaches my eyes and tears start to brim my eyelids, blurring the ground and the shorter shrubs beneath me. I do not blink them away though because I've seen too many tributes through the years try to compose themselves before getting killed. I would rather have slightly blurred vision then die pretty.  
"Isis!" Jaxx is just loud enough that I hear it over my heartbeat.  
Jaxx is calling for me even though he knows I am gone. I've made it so that if I turned back that the cornucopia top would be the only thing I would see.  
I shake my head slightly and decide to blink my eyes once so that the cameras do not think I'm crying about running. I wish sponsors could just see our real motives so I do not have to break my own rules and compose myself. No wonder so many of us die, we all are trying to please the sponsors we cannot even see.  
I stop a few minutes later whenever the first dot of the jungle pops up into my view. I've run far enough and when I stop my legs are wobbling as if I'm a deer trying to learn to walk. Damn. I plop down, knowing I will pass out if I do not do otherwise.  
I've got at least a 20 minute lead on the careers but it could be more because no cannons have went off. Or they could be torturing Jaxx and Finch. Or Jaxx and Finch could pull another one over on Panem and be secretly allied with the careers. Those bastards better not be.  
I take out a bottle of water from Althea's old backpack and sip on it slowly. I am so glad we stole these supplies from the careers because with that little half bottle of water I had at the beginning I would not have made it long. Poor Althea had to carry all the survival stuff while I was, yet again, selfish and carried the axe. Shit.  
I rarely have a self-reflection but I guess it's about time for one since I may be dead soon. I know being selfless is for morons if it is concerning the Hunger Games but I never knew I was selfish enough to leave people to die for me to live. But it worked did not it? I am alive and from the cannons they are still alive. Should I feel bad about it if they weren't killed? Well, they could always be bleeding out somewhere.  
I just wish they would all die. That is horrible to say but I just want them all to disappear so I can win and get my life going again. I could go back to District 7 where the flower children are waiting for their feast and where Fiona waits with an approving smile. Does she approve of all this killing? The Capitol does but that doesn't mean it's right. Just because something or someone powerful approves of something does not justify it or make everyone else follow in their footsteps. I see now why the Capitol likes to stay tucked away from the poorer districts that have the burning in their hearts to rebel. I do not want to rebel, I want it all to end without any of the trouble that comes with rebelling and war. Fucking Capitol.  
BOOM!  
I jump, suddenly confronted with the cannon sound instead of the slowing of my heartbeat. Someone has died. It is either a career or one of my former allies, including Jaspe.  
I close my eyes and lean against the tree behind me. I am right back where I started in these games. At least I am not numbed or being chased by a Chion. Yeah, as if this is so much better.  
These games are certainly meeting the certain level excitement that the Capitol expects but there is always that one year that they decide they should mix things up a bit. I just hope that they decide we are exciting enough that they do not need to break out the big guns for us. How sick are they to devise a plan for the death of children before the children are even reaped, some may not even be alive yet if they decide the next few games are exciting enough.  
BOOM!  
This time I do not jump but my eyes do pop open. Two cannons? Two is the same number as my previous allies. They could both be dead. Well that tosses out the idea I had about them allying with the careers.  
I shake my head and take another sip of water. This is all wrong. We are being picked off just like every year. The careers are like the Gamemakers except the careers could still die but they are both the ones who are usually controlling the game and who dies in it.  
The moon gleams above and I think about that being the last thing to see if I did die tonight. I would rather die asleep but if I had to see something before I die in the arena it would be nice to see the starry night instead of the graveyard I sit on now.  
Sounds come from the direction I ran from and I stand up, my axe in my hands. I would not have heard it without it being deathly silent in the arena. The careers must be finished with their killing spree and may be coming after me.  
I immediately turn towards the jungle to meet green eyes. Oh my fucking god. Jaspe returns.  
My axe is swinging upwards towards Jaspe before I even get to see anything besides his green eyes. My face scrunches up as I hope and pray that the axe ends him with one swing before I have to get into a fight. My axe hits something solid and my whole face relaxes as my mind processes he is hit.  
But he is nowhere near death. My axe only hit his left arm. The spot that I hit him was a rough hunk of blood and meat. Shreds of skin lined the edges of where I chopped in and blood flowed quickly down his arm in little rivers. Inside the wound was blood boiling up to the surface where it made the rivers below wider. My axe stopped right at his bone that was now stained crimson.  
Jaspe screams loudly and my mouth drops as I think of the careers who now where I am. I lift my axe again and slash towards his stomach. Jaspe sees me this time though and pushes the blade back with his knife so that I hit nothing but arm.  
Jaspe lifts his right arm, revealing one of the knives he got from the cornucopia, and clenches his teeth together. I desperately swing again, worrying now only about my speed and not caring whether I hit him in the face or leg. Jaspe needs to die now before I'm fatally injured.  
"How dare you leave us?" I cry, knowing I better let out my rage why the careers are still too far away to pinpoint my exact location. "Althea killed herself because of you leaving. She needed you and now she is dead!" I am screaming at the top of my lungs, tears forming now because of the heat and the memory of Althea's speech.  
I lift my axe quickly, focusing on his face, "It's your fault!" I swing downwards, putting my entire weight into the swing. It finally hits.  
Jaspe collapses to the ground, landing on his knees with a sharp crack. My axe is buried within his head. Blood flows down into his eyes and onto the ground. Jaspe watches me with bloody eyes as he attempts to stand again.  
I cover my mouth with my hands as I take in that I did this. I wanted his death to be quick but this is too drawn out. He knows I did this to him and he knows that I truly hated him. I never wanted this.  
Jaspe raises his shaking hands over his head and feels the axe. His green eyes stare at me and I shake my head quickly. I wanted him dead but I did not want him to be able to process it all before his death.  
"Jaspe, no." I whisper, shaking my head. I want to tell him I did not mean to kill him like this but he keeps holding onto the axe.  
"Forgive me, Isis." Jaspe says, staring into my eyes despite his own being covered in blood. "Please," Jaspe falls forwards, the axe handle thumping the ground before his body settles.  
I stand there, awe-struck that I was able to do this. A teenage girl should not be capable of such cruelty but yet I just killed Jaspe as the careers would kill me. He had gone through so much pain before death and I did not wish that on him. I do not regret his death, I regret how he died. Jaspe did not deserve this.  
BOOM!  
I quickly look behind me, the cannon reminding me of careers. I will not stay behind like I did with Althea because that just got me Jaxx and Finch who could possibly be dead already.  
Careers are just as cruel as Jaspe's death so I need to thicken my skin once again. The community home has taught me many things and thickening my skin was one of them. We all know this though but someday my skin will reach my heart and I do not want to lose my heart.  
I hike the backpack over my shoulder and notice a problem. My axe is in Jaspe's head. I will not survive without my axe. I blink away the tears again and let them slide down my cheeks. One of them lands on the back of my hand and I look down to wipe it off to see that it is red. Jaspe's blood must have got on my head. It must look like I am crying blood on the television.  
Oh no. Everyone saw me kill Jaspe. The flower children saw me kill someone so brutally that they probably hate me now. They may not even recognize me with my blood tears and the body lying beneath me. I tear up again as I look up into the sky and say the words I've heard so many times lately.  
"I'm so sorry," I blink the tears away again, "Please forgive me, District 7."  
The thought of them seeing me like this kills me. The fucking Capitol is probably going to edit that out, making me look like a killer now. I bet they aren't proud of me anymore as they all know their tribute's this year are killers and liars. I hate this shit, all of it.  
I look back down and wipe my cheeks with my arm. It comes down crimson and I bite the inside of my mouth. Fiona would have a heart attack if she saw me now, all blood covered plus my axe in Jaspe's head.  
Looking down at Jaspe, I listen for the careers. I do not hear anything but that might be because of my quiet crying filling the air. I decide enough is enough and wrap my arms around the axe handle that is lying on the ground and lift it a bit, Jaspe's head drags with it. I grimace and quickly yank on it. Jaspe's head jerks up and I gasp. This things buried in him deep.  
"Fuck. Shit. Damn. Bitch. Bastard," I stop and think of another word to describe this situation. "Crap." Not the worst word I've ever said but I've decided that the kids at home are probably tired of hearing nothing but bleeps come out of my mouth.  
I look down and frown, knowing what I have to do. I shake my hands, jumping and down a bit to get rid of my nerves of having to do this to Jaspe. Turning my neck from side to side, I put a firm grip on the axe handle and put my right foot on his back. Here we go. Pushing down Jaspe with my foot, I lift the axe out of his head. It's slow at first, a grinding sound coming from his head. The axe slithers out like a snake until it reaches his eyeballs where the axe flies out of his head. The force of it knocks me down to the ground, falling on my behind.  
"Crap!" I yell in the loudest whisper possible. I will try to stick to the 'kid-friendly' words if possible because then maybe I will get some sponsors. I certainly do not need anything now though but a luxury sure would not hurt.  
My axe is covered in blood a few solid bloody things stick out on the blade. I stare at it a bit before having to look away and dry-heaving a bit. I almost throw up but I force myself to swallow the food, knowing I only have enough for a couple of days and I have no idea when these games will end.  
The careers could be catching up now so I quickly grab my water and decide to run across the forest area instead of towards the jungle. I've learned from experience that the jungle is full of poisons plus I am tired of having to avoid the forest solely on the fact that people expect me to be there. Let them expect, I will kill them because everyone in this arena hates me and I hate them. Except Jaxx. Jaxx will be hard to kill. Maybe he is already dead. I hope so yet I also hope he still lives. Shit, what am I going to do?  
I jog until dawn where I see a nice tree to settle down at. Near the base of the tree are a few bushes that are just thick enough that I could maybe hide there as I sleep. Knowing the arena though I will never be safe.  
I settle down next to the trunk where a bush pokes my face. It doesn't bother me much though as a bush cannot kill me. Well, maybe. It did not sting though and there was not a mutt around so maybe the Gamemaker's would let me rest for the final battle that seems to be approaching rather quickly.  
My axe is tucked under the core of the bush poking my face, Jaspe's blood dried on it. I keep my backpack on me though because if I am discovered I will not have time to gather my supplies before escaping otherwise I will not even have time to get out of this fucking bush.  
I am half asleep for a long time but somehow I seem to sleep just enough that I am not aware of what is going on around me. It was a dreamless sleep, as expected, but I did see a few memories of the arena. Althea's death, Jaspe's death, and me abandoning Jaxx and Finch. The worst part was when the cannon boomed every time the memories seemed to fade away. I would jolt awake occasionally thinking the cannons were real.  
Shockingly enough, I wake up to see the moon. Nothing woke me up rather then I was not tired anymore. It felt weird not opening my eyes to see a tribute, mutt, or the sound of a cannon. What happened to the death? Was there enough action yesterday with the careers, Jaxx, and Finch that they decided we could all have a break. Oh, well, there was always Jaspe dying as well. I guess they are too busy editing and showing yesterday to do anything today. Good, let them take their time, I like not being tired all the time or not being chased.  
I slowly gather my stuff and start to walk across the forest again. It was strangely unnerving to have nothing to worry about, well besides that I am surrounded by killers but there was no immediate danger for me to worry about. Eventually, I start to chew on my nails out of boredom because walking alone with nothing to do is too calm for me.  
The anthem begins about 30 minutes later and I happily look up, glad to see that they did not abandon us but instantly saddened by the fact that I might see someone I know up there. Like Jaxx.  
First up is Poise. She must have killed by Jaxx and Finch which means one of them is still alive. But who? I'm betting on Finch even though I'm hoping it ends up being Jaxx. Poise disappears to reveal Cimber. He must have been the one who the careers hang from the tail of the cornucopia. So he was the one who betrayed the careers. Yeah, his cannon rang right before Jaxx, Finch, and I left Althea's body. I gulp.  
Cimber disappears right before the big one comes. I've seen that face too many times. Finch from 11. I stare into her eyes that lie just above her smirk. Finch…..is dead? How did she die over Jaxx? I gasp and stare at her face. Finch was so strong and arrogant, just like a career. How did she die? That could only mean Jaxx is still alive. I try to focus on Jaxx being alive but all I can think about is Finch no longer being in this arena. Of course, I could never tell without the anthem because we were never close whenever she died. But, how?  
I let my thoughts of Finch slide away as Jaspe appears. Jaspe stares down at me and I flash back to the moment where he had his hands on my axe as he died. I still cannot believe I was the one to kill him. It happened so fast but then he died so slow that it made it all so much worst. Jaspe looked crazy when he died though yet he begged for me to forgive me before he died. Was he trying to clean the slate before his death? I guess it makes sense.  
A tear slides down my cheek again and I angrily wipe it away. How dare I let these games turn me into a child? How dare I cry over myself when so many others have died around me? How dare I run while Finch was dying? How dare I stand here as Tassel and Elvira celebrate their victory? How dare I leave Jaxx in his time of need? How dare I? I ignore the end of the anthem and run towards the cornucopia. The careers will not win this year. They will die and my axe will be the one to do the job.

**Alright, I managed to write this chapter over the weekend since I had no projects due or any homework. So sorry for the pretty much month long wait but at least I didn't abandon it. I'm trying to update whenever I have time and my SYOT is also being abused too but that's mostly because I'm having writer's block.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter that I really tried to make long but couldn't because I still need the next chapter to be long. I'd really appreciate a review and thanks so much to any of you who decided to actually read this despite the wait. If you do review, should the next chapter be the last or should we continue past the games?**

**P.S My tab and spacebar was all wacked out so this probably looks like I have no idea how to write. But I do! Sometimes...**


	17. Worthy

**What?! I updated? Yes, yes I did and someone does win and it could be Isis or it could be someone else. Read to find out.**

**Worthy**

I guess having such an oh so amazing boost of energy was a great start to my 'journey' to kill the careers but that didn't last long. I'd misjudged the distance between me and the cornucopia and it is taking quite some time to reach the golden horn of death, or the cornucopia if you don't want to be creative with it.

Now, I'm simply walking, my feet trudging behind me. It's been quite a while since I came into the arena, confused about my weird arena outfit and shocked that I was actually here. I've possibly grown but I don't like the new Isis. Even now, I'm hunting more than just a thick, towering tree within the dark forests of District 7.

Damn rules made me kill and hunt human beings, that's all I keep telling myself but should I really make excuses over someone's death? Since when is my newest goal in life to kill someone in the name of living myself?

"Just let it all end." I mutter, breathing my words so that only the camera will catch it and the careers would just think it is the howling of the light wind.

I bet they are starting to look at each other differently, the careers, knowing only one will survive and all. Elvira and Tassel. If I could place money on anyone it would be Tassel but if I were a sponsor there may be a chance my money would go on Elvira. I've not seen the careers in full on action the entire time we've been in the arena. For all I know, Tassel's strength could be no help to him at all and Elvira could be this genius child.

Jaxx is surely injured since Finch has fallen it must have been from fighting. Maybe she sacrificed herself for Jaxx. It was probably because she had already gotten injured so badly she knew she was done for. Or….Could Finch have possibly grown attached to Jaxx? When I was with them it was mostly silence but before they picked me up did they bond or grow some form of a friendship?

"No," I mumble to myself, needing to fill the silence in the still air. I hate this quietness after the years of screaming children in the community home.

I keep walking, focusing on nothing but a tree in the distance, making it my goal to reach and after I reach it I find another tree and keep walking forward. Morning comes quickly and I sigh. Something is about to happen because even I'm bored! Tributes never look bored in previous years! Of course, that could all be edited out but at least they weren't constantly bored.

"Wouldn't mind some food, Liam." I mumble. The only reason I'm hungry though is because of utter boredom. I've never gotten so bored that I was hungry back at the home though. Something has to happen or these games are an utter failure.

A few seconds later I see movement just above my head. I raise my axe slightly, knowing the danger isn't close enough for me to have to be quick on my feet. Floating down towards me though was a silver dot that quickly turned into a detailed parachute. Lovely, I have sponsors.

I can't help myself, I dash like a giddy, not happy but giddy, child to the spot I assume the parachute will land. Smiling up at the sky like an idiot, I hold out my hands and get ready for whatever food Liam sent me.

The parachute is about a dozen feet in the air when I notice something suspicious though. Another parachute was floating down about thirty feet to my left. Is there another person nearby? No, that is too convenient. Turning quickly to the right I see another. Quickly, I realize the parachutes are raining down on us. It's all about to go down.

The parachute I originally thought was for me is still about ten feet above, slowing down but still coming. I frown as I notice something on the bottom of the container below the parachute. A Capitol Seal. No thought runs through my mind as I take off, running towards the cornucopia.

The parachutes are raining down in every direction but I know that the final battle always occurs near the cornucopia so I'm heading there. Let's just hope that they followed the guidelines this year and made no parachutes rain down on the cornucopia.

Again, my legs turn numb and run as fast as they can. I'm sure Elvira can't run this fast as she is the shortest one left in the games. My long legs carry me farther, flinging me forward as if I were flying. The sensation would be enjoyable if it weren't for its purpose being to save my ass from death.

All of a sudden the ground vibrates and an explosion rocks the world. I almost trip as the explosion behind me triggers what seems like hundreds more, the ground rocking more violently with each explosion. The parachutes are hitting the ground and there must be bombs within them. Shit.

We'll all be dead if everyone else is asleep which they usually are this time of the morning. A cry escapes me as the heat of the explosions brushes my ankles slightly but my cry goes unheard after another explosion.

"Please, not yet." I say in an urgent voice even though the sound never reaches my ears. I don't want to die now, not in an inferno for the world to see. I've come too far to die. People think I have a chance of winning now and I don't want to let them down. Plus, who wants to die after they've risked everything to be alive?

The bomb parachutes continue to fall and my legs continue to run but I see something change in this scenario. The cornucopia is just up ahead and there are no parachutes floating down onto it. Thank god for my past memory of these games.

Out of nowhere, I'm flung forward, flying literally instead of just the running speed type. It's at least ten feet up when my eyes adjust to the sudden smack forward. I'm travelling in an arch and it's obvious I'll land near the mouth of the cornucopia.

I'm eating dirt before I notice that I had fallen within a few seconds. The ground wasn't soft in the least so my whole body feels like a stepped on pancake. Damn earth thinking it has to be so tough around the careers.

"Fuck me." I groan, too shocked and woozy to look around or fear the careers being close.

No one chuckles so they must have either matured from the training center or aren't close enough to have noticed me. Well, they could also be away at the moment but I don't want to get my hopes up right before they could sneak up behind me and smash my head in.

My bones feel like old, rusty pipes as I attempt to lift my neck a bit. It's as if I'm glued to the ground so I'd rather stretch my rusty bones then lay flat on the ground like a sack of meat asking to be fileted. Oh, so even a rusty pancake like me can make clever comments. Good, at least I'm not brain damaged.

I manage to push my upper body up with my arms but the poor things were shaking so hard I just let myself fall back down but managed to make my back hit the ground instead of my belly. It wasn't much of an improvement but at least I could watch and hear the bombs going off all around me.

"Certainly not boring now, huh?" I ask, staring up at the sky that was slowly filling up with smoke.

It's all over. No, not my life, but the games. Today we have to have a victor because if the bombs didn't kill everyone then the smoke coming from the bombs will. I guess the sponsors are throwing their victor parties right now. Within a few minutes they'll finish their food and surround the television, hoping to be the first of them all to see the victor for this year.

Lying down, I let my breath come back as it was knocked out of me when I fell. I'm beyond positive that my bones are bruised or broken or whatever so they certainly made sure the battle was going to be a long one since the others have to be injured or dead too.

After a few more stray bombs go off I attempt to get up again. It's not much better but I force myself to sit up, wanting to know how much damage the parachute bombs caused. I close my eyes as I wince in pain and when they open I make sure to take in my surroundings before worrying anymore about the pain.

Surrounding the cornucopia was a literal ring of fire. Blazes took up everything between the desert and the mountains. The shear sight of all the fire made me suck in my already shallow breath. There was no way I would have survived that if I hadn't of saw them all coming.

Thinking of my own survival made me think of the others. The careers shouldn't stray too far from the cornucopia so where could they be. And Jaxx, where could he be? I'm obviously not the last one alive or the hovercraft would have come or at the very least trumpets would have blown.

"Hello?" I call out, knowing the area for people to be alive is only this circle. Why try to hide now? Remember, I still want this to end as soon as it possibly can.

BOOM!

I jump, startled by the cannon. I guess there was more than just me and another person left since one just died. For all I know all four of us could have survived the bombs, insuring for a good fight. Well, now there's only two or three left, including myself.

Despite the immense pain in my bones, I stand. It takes a few seconds as I have to stop several times to adjust. It felt like my body was jelly and every time I stopped it was like the jelly had to settle in order for me to continue. Great, in the end I have jelly flesh and rusty bones.

"Isis?" A single shiver shoots down my back in a quick motion.

"Jaxx?" I ask, already knowing that that voice was him.

Jaxx was behind me but I could tell he had to be near the edge of the circle. He must have been in the middle of the bomb fire but managed to get out. So, it was just me, him, and possibly another career.

"How are you?" I choke out, starting to feel the smoke in my mouth. Let's just hope Jaxx doesn't attack, not yet at least.

"I'm good. A little singed, nothing too bad." He pauses and I hear him take in a deep breath despite the smoky air. It smells like winter in District 7 when everyone is burning the wood they managed to stock up on after they filled their quota. "I'm sure that you're fine. You always manage to be just….fine." It sounds like he is sad whenever he says fine and I look down at the ground.

Even though I can't see Jaxx I know he is on the verge of tears. It has to be Finch he is sad about. I abandon them and now he might blame me for her death. I don't blame him, I blamed Althea's death on Jaspe and we all know who killed him in the end.

"I'm sorry, Jaxx." I spin around, ignoring the pain and trying to put the pain in my heart into my words since I know if Jaspe had tried then maybe he wouldn't have been killed by me. "I just was afraid. I've put on this tough act but I know that on the inside I'm weak. Finch was fearless and I was selfish."

Tears fall again from my eyes partly from the smoke and partly from seeing Jaxx's face so sad. "I didn't want to leave but I was already gone when I realized my mistake." Looking up at Jaxx, I try to look harmless despite the fact that an axe was hanging loosely in my right hand. "H-How did she die?"

"We were running away, seeing that you had abandon us," he shoots me a death glare, "But Elvira chased after us so Finch stopped. I told her to come on but she shoved me forward and ran back towards Elvira. Finch managed to tackle Elvira to the ground but right before I took off Elvira was raising her knife to Finch's throat." He looked down making the tears in his eyes fall, "She didn't stand a chance whenever the others joined in to help Elvira."

So, Finch _had_ sacrificed herself. Jaxx didn't say anything about her being hurt and I'm sure he would have so they really had grown fond of each other. Shit. Jaxx had finally found someone who liked him and he liked her but she was killed while saving him. Now, I'm not going to assume it was anything with love seeing as how Finch isn't exactly loveable but Jaxx has always been the flirtatious type. Maybe he had a crush on her. Oh, poor Jaxx.

"I'm sorry." I wipe away my tears and look him in the eyes. "Are we the only ones left?"

Jaxx opens his mouth to answer when the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Someone or something had approached us. Either a tribute or a mutt.

_Clap, clap, clap. _I look up, shocked at the sudden outburst of the oh so dramatic slow clap. Standing just in the smoke was one of the careers. I'd know that small figure anywhere.

"Elvira," I growl, turning my body towards her instead of Jaxx's.

"Hello, 7," she calls, her voice deep and hollow. It's hard to imagine a smile on her face but with that voice she surely isn't a happy child.

Elvira walks out of the smoke where we can see her, meaning she is only about a dozen feet away. I take a deep breath, hoping this smoke isn't poisonous, and stand tall.

Elvira is only about 5'2 so I'm much taller but her muscles are just as big as mine, maybe even bigger. In her hand she holds a sword so we have about the same reach concerning weapons. This might actually be a good final battle even though she would be one of the youngest victors ever if she did win. She'll never win though.

"I have to say, you went farther then everyone thought you would." Elvira smirks, playing with the tip of her sword as if it's just a toy. "I told the others I didn't care how far you made it as long as I was the one to kill you in the end. I guess they'll have to find out that I kept my promise when you tell them on the other side." Elvira looks up from her sword and smiles devilishly.

I take a step forward and watch her face that shall never glow with happiness or develop laugh lines. You don't deserve to live if you won't be happy while I could be. "Bring it, you little shit." I growl right before running straight at her, my axe lifted high above my head

Running at this twelve year old, I realize that I've actually grown. Sure, I'm about to kill a child but I ran at her without any fear. Maybe, I should be afraid of her and her sword but I know that there is nowhere left to run or hide. So why delay what will happen anyways? I believe it is called fate?

Now, Elvira and I are only a couple of feet away from each other so I fling my axe down in a sloppy fashion, hoping force will make up for my horrific aim. Elvira sees it coming but it's too late. My axe plants itself into her shoulder and the small child falls to the ground, stopping Elvira in a crouched position.

A feeling of pure victory shoots inside of me but I'm shocked to see that my axe is deeply planted in her shoulder, just like it was in Jaspe's head. But this time I feel no pity or sympathy for this child who was taught to kill. Elvira will never change and maybe killing her will put her out of her 'misery' or maybe that was just another excuse for my killing.

Elvira sits on the ground, breathing hard, and I take this opportunity to kick this dog while it's down. Getting a firm grip on my axe, I yank upwards on the wooden handle and feel it slide out of Elvira's flesh. Apparently, I had pulled too hard because I feel back onto the ground which severely hurt well everything on the inside.

"Fuck!" I scream, finally not having to worry about others hearing me since I'm surrounded by them.

My body groans and complains as I feel my vision shaking. If I pass out there is no doubt in my mind I'll wake up dead. Forcing myself to take a second to regain my strength, I let my head fall back onto the cold earth, such a different temperature from the crackling blaze surrounding the final battle site. I wonder how the Capitol citizens will be able to see the death sites with most of them burned up.

While I lay on the ground, Jaxx strolls up with a blank expression as if he is just walking in the park. I frown as he leans down over me with a knife in his hand. Elvira is the one who will kill him with his back turned, not me.

"Jaxx?" I croak, the smoke around us thickening by the minute.

"You left us." His voice is cracking severely as if he is crying even though his eyes aren't bloodshot and tears don't stain his cheeks. "_She died _because of _you_, Isis." Spit flies out of his mouth because of the anger he has for me. "You've always been the favorite, Isis. You were the best lumberjack, you were the funniest, you were the best leader, you were the kids favorite, you were little Miss. Perfect." Jaxx smiles and looks down at me. "But not anymore. You're going to just be a has been when I win for the district, and not you."

Jaxx leans down and puts his knife to my face. I stare at the blade and watch my focus go from his face to the shiny tip of his weapon. My heart pounds hard but I try to make my face calm. Jaxx has changed a lot as well, seeing as how he use to just playfully flirt and tease with me but now…Well, look who's about to kill me.

"Jaxx, please." I mutter softly, staring into his tense brown eyes.

My voice only makes him angrier though because he lashes out. I don't know what happens the next second but the second after that I feel a sharp pain from the top of my chest to the top of my hips on the left side of my body.

I look down to see that blood is flowing slowly out of the left side of my body. Heat radiates from my wound and I start to breath rapidly, staring up at Jaxx, the one who caused this horrible pain. With so much pain, I can't restrict the loud scream from escaping my mouth. This is hell!

"Not so perfect now, are we?" Jaxx screams right in my face. Spit lands all over me and I start whining, the only thing that comes out while I'm holding back the tears, sobs, and choking.

Jaxx watches me squirm in pain but I force myself to always stare him in the eyes. I want him to know that HE did this to me. HE is to blame for my pain and suffering. HE just lost everything he ever had with me. What a waste by him.

"Kill her!" screams Elvira from a few feet away. She sounds destroyed and weak but apparently she has enough strength to cheer for my death. Bitch.

"Shut up!" demands Jaxx before stomping over to her. I turn my head to the side in order to see what he does to her and watch. Elvira is the one who killed Finch so he must be angry at her as well.

Elvira is still crouching so the first thing Jaxx does is forcefully kick Elvira down, making another waterfall of blood flow out of her deep shoulder wound. Elvira yowls in pain as she crashes onto the hard earth.

"You bastard!" Elvira curses, grabbing her sword from the ground.

I turn away, wanting to see my wound for myself. What I see is a miracle. No, not my wound, but I notice that Jaxx happened to leave his knife on the ground. Holy crap, I'm might still have a chance in this thing.

The knife is only a foot away so I lean to the left in order to get the knife but for a split second I must have forgot that the side with a gaping wound happened to be my left. I groan and moan in pain but force my mouth to stay closed otherwise Jaxx will look back to see me getting his knife.

Still leaning on my left side, I grab the knife blade as it was the end closest to me. The knife nicks me but that pain is just a mosquito bite compared to the big wound on my side. Unlike the first time, I flop to the side making more pain go up my back from when I fell.

Now, for the hard part. I must stand up to stab Jaxx otherwise he'll kill me without even having to get close. The first part was relatively easy as all I had to do was lift my head and since he didn't cut me on my head I didn't feel any pain other than a little wooziness. But then I lifted my upper body. It was in a quick, swift motion though so the pain didn't come until after. My left side was on fire and once again my vision was blurry. It was unsettling to be so weak when there are two killers just in front of me.

Jaxx was too busy slamming Elvira's head into the ground to look back at me though. I guess he wants to end her now so he doesn't have to go back to her after he's done with me. What an idiot.

I start to lift my legs when my vision starts to fade. There is no way I can stand up. I'll pass out if I move anymore and there is no way I'm going to let Jaxx live. If I'd known he was so jealous of me back in 7 then I might have done something about it but no he let his jealous fester, making his hatred for me come out all at once.

The knife suddenly feels heavy in my hands and I close my eyes, hoping this will satisfy my will to pass out because if I lay back down I don't know if I'll be able to get back up. My eyes snap open and I know what I must do and it wouldn't be possible without Jaspe. I would thank him but he's dead and I'm kinda the one who killed him.

Lifting the knife over my head like my axe, I aim for Jaxx's head. There is only one shot at this because I could pass out very easily allowing Jaxx to kill me much faster than if I was fighting and screaming.

The knife was ready but I didn't want Jaxx to die without knowing that we were done with completely. I fling my arm forward but just before the knife slips between my fingers I yell at the top of my District 7, lumberjill lungs "Die, fucker!"

The knife plants itself into Jaxx's body with a thump and I never know what it hits because I fall back onto the ground. I take a few deep breaths and tell myself that it's over because before throwing the knife I saw Elvira and she is nothing but a blood-covered lump. I'm surprised her cannon hasn't boomed yet.

BOOM!

"1 to go." I whisper to myself even though I'm positive my voice was amplified to full blast as I'm the healthiest one alive. That's actually pretty sad seeing as how I'm bleeding out.

The next cannon comes about a minute later but it all blurs as pain allows itself to burrow and settle for the time being. But I'm the victor.

"I'm coming home, everyone." I mumble, my eyes still closed as they have been since I fell back. "Yay!" I cheer in a bored voice as if I'm happy. Happy people usually haven't killed but I won't be like Elvira. I'll smile and laugh because every day that I'm alive after today is a miracle.

"Ladies and Gentleman, let me present you with the 52nd Annual Hunger Games Victor, Isis Swift!" screams a voice and I smile.

"It's all over. I'm coming home flower children. Get ready for the feast." A hovercraft materializes above me and I finally open my eyes for the first time since becoming a victor.

I finally know that I'm worthy of beating those careers and everyone else. I'm worthy of this title because I fought my ass off in this arena, I lost my humanity, but I found hope. It might all actually be worth it whenever I see the faces of those in my home district. But home is far away. Now, I have to go back to the place that brought me to the arena. The Capitol.

**So what did you all think? Isis won! I was going to be lazy today and not do anything but because of a certain reviewer, Arl313, I decided I should probably update. So, updates won't stop and it might come faster this time since I did find it difficult to keep the games exciting, surprising, and action. I'll probably do this story past the usually but I'm not sure how far it should go. **

**So this chapter is about 1,000 words longer than the last one so could you maybe review? One review made me update so maybe yours could too? Well, actually two reviews because my very good friend BR2607 reviewed again but she does every chapter so she automatically is loved for that every chapter :)**


	18. Doll

**Ok, I blame the internet for distracting me. But I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter so it should come quicker than this one. Well, it better.**

**Doll**

I guess you could say I was happy. The nightmare of killing somewhat innocent teenagers was over. All that's left now is answering questions and lying to people which I've done for most of my life, especially the latter. Maybe, I'm still surrounded by dead bodies and I'm dying myself but at least I didn't have to swing my axe at anything else except for a tree in District 7.

A ladder drops down beside of me and I wince just at the thought of sitting up. I have to leave this place though because I promised people I would make it out alive. If only this were the last thing I had to do before it all became a life of ease.

"I'm coming." I tell the world who is probably either celebrating my victory or cursing my name for making them lose a bet. Well, all I have to say to them is 'Fuck you. I'm a victor now, bitches.'

The ladder swings slightly next to me, becoming just as impatient as the medical staff is above. At least, there better be medical staff up there unless the Capitol just doesn't want a victor.

That thought of healing is what forces me to sit up. I scream but the last part of my scream is blocked by my teeth clenching together. I'm not going back to putting on a fake show that I'm this tough girl because now I will toughen up. I've done things that careers wish that could and I wish I hadn't. But there was only one way to go now and it wasn't back to my past but forward into my future which just so happens to lie just above me.

"Damn it," I growl, my teeth still clenched together tightly.

Knowing what I have to do, I lunge at the ladder. My fingers brush against the woven rope and I quickly latch on, my lower body still lying on the ground but my torso lifted onto the ladder.

God, I'm going to bleed out if I don't hurry my ass up. Victors never take this long on television but usually most of them come out of the fight with only one major injury or a few scratches not a giant gash in the side of their body.

Just when I'm about to start dragging my legs up the ladder I freeze in place. So maybe they thought that I was far enough up the ladder that they don't need to wait on me anymore. Ah, finally, some peace.

As I float upwards, I realize I'm still bleeding heavily. Jaxx had cut through my shirt so I could see that the skin around my shredded flesh was ghostly white at the moment. I'd seen that color skin many times on lumberjacks in the woods who had happened to be in a falling tree's path. Most of them didn't make it out without broken limbs or some didn't even make it out at all. Let's hope the Capitol's medicine is as good as people say it is.

When I arrive in the hovercraft, I'm surrounded by doctors, everything but their calm eyes hidden by a mask. Normally, I would struggle a bit against this but I know they need me alive so I relax. These people _have_ to keep me alive otherwise they'll die along with me. At least, that's usually how the Capitol deals with people who 'defy' them.

"Put her on the bed." I hear from just behind me. The voice is calm and casual as if they are answering a question about themselves. I wonder how many victors they've had to cure over the years.

I remember a couple of years ago, a victor was looking just as bad as me. I believe he had to face it off with the girl from 1 and it was obvious she was going to win. Well, that was until he managed to rip one of her eyes right out of its socket. All of the little kids had left the room in the community home except for Jaxx, me, and a couple of the older kids who are now moved out of the home. In the end, the boy outsmarted the girl by dodging her axe, letting it fall down a cliff. Jaxx was sure she was going to push him off the cliff with the axe until I saw something come back over the cliff. The axe. The cannon boomed just as the axe planted itself in the District 1 girl's head. I believe the boy's torso was basically torn to shreds when the hovercraft arrived. I saw him on the tour though and he looked fine. If these are the same doctors who took care of him then I should come out of this ok.

Apparently I am struggling too much so they put me out of it rather quickly. I hear sounds, maybe voices, but it's just nonsense so I try to focus on the blurred movement above me. I feel like a blob of clay and they are just molding me back to perfection. As clay, I don't feel very important or any need to really fight my perfection operation.

I start to wake up from my dreamy clay sleep and felt like a vegetable. I was lying on a bed and I could feel that they had took away all of the grime ad filth I had managed to collect in the arena. In a way I felt clean but I also felt used. Of course, I had no choice in them 'perfecting' me so I guess I was used in a way but in their minds it was for the better.

I slowly sat up, allowing my bones to stretch. I felt like an old woman by the way I had to adjust so much just from sitting up. I cracked my fingers and neck but everything else was just going to have to adjust or get over it. I needed to know what the Capitol has done to me, yet again.

They had moved me into another hospital room but it was more clean and precise then the complex one in the hovercraft. Actually, it didn't have any equipment in it other than some machine feeding me something through an IV. The rest of the room was just plain. All the room included was a couch, a few mirrors, and a few decorations on the walls as if they made it seem like a room to be happy in. This room is for those who escaped death, not for someone to have a happiness freak-out.

Speaking of freak-outs, I glance at myself in one of the mirrors and gap at myself. The doctors must have really enjoyed playing with my body because they had really dolled me up. They had gotten rid of the blemishes on my face and I was shocked that they managed to get rid of those heavy bags that have been under my eyes for as long as I can remember.

My body looks fragile. I'm like one of those porcelain dolls that the rich kids of 7 plays with but every time the kids bring them outside they bring back a tattered shred of the remaining doll. Maybe the Capital is just another rich kid and I'm on of their many new dolls. Lovely.

Other than the doll-like fixings I noticed that they 'enhanced' me. I never was curvy seeing as how I could barely grow a stomach let alone curves but now I looked much more 'womanly'. In a way, I was glad to look more grown but I didn't like that the Capitol had done it for me. It made me sick to think of what happened while I was in my clay dreamy state. My hospital gown did mask the curves a bit more so I knew they were more dramatic then I was seeing at the moment.

Great, I'm going have those disgusting Capitol men drooling over me. They are always gawking at girls whenever they win and sometimes before the games too. I bet I had very few admirers before the game, if any, as it wasn't my angle. Now I have no choice but to look like this.

"Isis?"

I turned from the porcelain doll in the mirror to Liam, my mentor. He looked like he hadn't slept much and I see that eventually my bags should come back if Liam had got the same surgery I had. Liam didn't look like he could be like me, smoothed over and clean. He was far too, dirty and rugged for that.

"Liam," I say simply, not sure what to say. He wasn't exactly there for me, like ever. I didn't even get a single sponsor gift.

"Glad to see you again," he sat down on an older-looking couch and looked at me intently.

"Are you? I certainly didn't see much from you during the games. I may have needed help when I was paralyzed or when everything was falling apart for me Liam. I needed something, anything!" I was seriously pissed and it scared me how angry my voice was.

This was the first time I was allowed to let it out I guess. In the arena it was all hush, hush but now that I'm free I'm allowed to let it all out. I could lay my feelings on the table and my feelings for Liam caused me to turn into a pissed bitch.

"I really didn't see a need Isis. I thought you'd be happy for the lack of help from us." Liam looked a bit shocked at how angry I was too. Even though he is some 'genius' I can't see how he thinks not helping me would make me happy.

"How is no support at all in the arena good, Liam? Please explain to me how people were dying all around me that you couldn't send me something simple to just push me along. Damn, a fucking piece of bread could have given me hope. I felt like people out here hated me, Liam!" I was talking with my hands now, using big gestures to show my anger. It was all instinct though so if he was hurt by something I would have to deal with it later.

Liam slowly got up as he was too sophisticated for anger or yelling I suppose. Obviously, I don't give a shit about how I need to be a good calm victor. It's seems silly to be a killing machine on television and a mellow person the rest of the time. I wonder how they can all stay so tame.

My mentor glides over to me swiftly and gets in front of me. He better watch himself, I'm in bitch mode and sometimes my hands like to make out with people's faces. I try to calm down a bit though since I knew Liam was either going to blurt out a dumbass answer or he was going to tell me some genius thing that will make me feel stupid.

"Every tribute gets sponsor gifts, Isis, unless they are hated. But those who do usually grow dependent on them. Now, some tributes who got sponsor gifts win but if I had given you a sponsor gift every time you hit a bump on the road you would expect them and it would be stupid to think we would have enough money left over for near the end of the games and you hit a bump in the road. Besides, the gamemaker's are very pleased with us that we had so much leftover sponsor money and you always want to be on their good sides. See, smartest move for us as I see it."

I look down and think about it. In a way, I see that he could be right but something was nagging at me. Liam probably knew I was going to ask him it too so I just blurted it out without thinking.

"But I've seen you give sponsor gifts to other gifts the last few years. Why didn't you didn't do it for them too? I mean, you had four years to think about a strategy and if you just now thought of it then you're kinda pathetic." I smiled slightly to ease any tension just in case it _did _take him four years to think of that strategy.

Liam looked down at me and smiled along with me and I knew that he didn't just think of it this year otherwise he might have glared at me or something. "Isis, none of them were strong. You saw them, I tried so hard to send them supplies but none of them could get out of the arena. They didn't see anything beyond the arena. In fact, I think they knew they weren't going to make it."

Liam's last statement made me look back down at the ground again. It's true, we haven't had any 'worthy' tributes in the last few years but I never thought they were obvious losers. Some looked tougher than me, worked longer at the lumber mill, or were just smarter than me. But unfortunately most of them hadn't made it to the top 10.

Liam sees that I have nothing else to say and starts to walk towards the door. But then I think about what usually happens next for victors.

"Liam," I quickly call out. He turns towards me and I ask "Don't I need to get ready? For the highlights tonight?"

"Yes, Volumnia will be here in a little while. Until she gets here you're _suppose_d to sit here and be a good little victor but most of them just go roaming the hallways to meet up with their prep team and such." Liam looked around as if he was looking to see if anyone was listening when we both knew this room was wired to the Capitol "I'd be happy to bring them all in here seeing as how you've been through a lot and probably need some familiar faces surrounding you."

Liam smiled at me and walked out of the room with a smile still on his face. I guess he was happy to share his victor information for the first time ever. I was also the first female victor from District 7. I'm just all kinds of first aren't I?

As I wait for Liam to go get everyone, I ease back onto my hospital bed. The side of my body feels normal again and I thank the doctors for saving me from that pain. I still can't believe Jaxx turned on me so much in the end, it was hell he put me through. I got him though, in the end Isis Swift was the winner. My mind is full of guilt but I don't want to dwell on it because tonight I'll have to relive it all, ripping open the wounds I've pushed away until now.

"Isis!" Magenta's squealing makes me jump and I fight the urge to grab my heart to check if I was still alive. I hadn't heard any loud noises since leaving the arena and it felt like she was charging at me to kill me but instead she grabbed me into a hug.

"Hey, Magenta." I groan. Magenta was for Jaxx, not me. I guess she has to love me now seeing as how I won.

"Oh, Isis, I'm so glad to see you!" Magenta smiles fakely and I just nod. I'm glad I'm here to see her because otherwise I'd be dead.

Over Magenta's shoulder, I see my prep team. There's Mizar, Atlas, and Kern. They are smiling at me and I wonder if they were the prep team for Liam or if I was their first victor. I smile back at them even though we did have our difficulties involving my issue with strangers seeing me naked.

"Magenta, I think it's time I get ready for the recap." I blandly say. Magenta wasn't going to be getting much attention from me. She threw me away so I'm just returning the favor.

"Oh, of course." Magenta says, quickly adjusting her aqua wig. "I'll see you later Isis, be sure to be good for the prep team."

I roll my eyes as Magenta leaves and then the prep team finally steps forward. The three of them gather me into a group hug and I decide to hug them back. These people I could actually tolerate since they did cause me pain but without them I wouldn't have done well during the Pre-Games.

"Hey guys." I mutter through the various wigs I was mushed between. I guess I better get used to them seeing as how I'm the big old fancy victor girl now.

"Isis, we're so glad you won. I thought Elvira was a shoo-in for the victor but you showed them, didn't you?" It sounds like Kern is smiling when he says this but it doesn't ease the sting that I feel. They thought Elvira was better than me? Maybe I don't have as many fans as I thought.

* * *

"Turn a bit Isis, we're almost done." I follow Volumnia's instructions and slowly turn so that I am facing the mirror.

This was the first time I've got to see myself since Liam came in and I couldn't believe it but I actually looked better. The prep team had spent a couple of hours doing simple work since after my surgery they had already done the waxing and such. The prep team had given me bold red lips, shadow eyes, and had a dark blush under my cheek bones making me look like an exaggerated starving person that also happened to be a model. It was _very _realistic.

Volumnia had brought in my dress though and I had to say that I was impressed. It was a light blue strapless dress that was actually comfortable. The dress was to my knees and since it was loose I could easily move around unlike some of the tighter dresses I've had to wear before.

The only problem was they had given me 5 inch heels to walk around in. I don't know how Volumnia thought I was going to walk in them seeing as how she knew my hatred of heels but apparently it was mandatory.

"I look great, Volumnia." I compliment her but then quickly say "But,"

"But?" she raised an eyebrow at me and I gulped. You aren't supposed to anger the person determining how you'll look in front of the entire country.

"But these heels are a little…..much. Like a lot much." I swallowed again and looked at her reflection in the mirror, expecting steam to explode from her ears any second.

"Look, Isis, I hated heels too as a child. I'm not very tall though so I basically have to wear them constantly. I'm sure it's the balance and comfort part you hate correct?" I nod quickly "Here, this is what my mother use to train me with."

Volumnia digs in her bag and I catch a glimpse of a few different heels. Maybe she expected me to argue with those bastards lying on the floor next to me.

"Here they are!" Volumnia pulls out a pair of heels.

They are maybe an inch shorter than the ones I was supposed to wear but the heel was clunky, instead of the usual thin stick I hate. The heels were white so they didn't exactly match my dress color like the old heels but white matches anything.

"Try them on, hurry, we only have half an hour till the show begins." Volumnia urges and I snatch the new heels out of her hands.

I lean against the wall and slip the heels on. I instantly notice the cushioned bottom on the heel. Oh hell yes! This is so much better! I quickly slip the other heel on and stand up.

"This is amazing, Volumnia! Thank you so much!" I exclaim, overjoyed that those other heels can torture someone else.

"You're welcome, Isis. Now, come on." Volumnia opens the door and we both walk out.

We reach the backstage rather quickly and I can see that Ceasar is just now coming out. Good, I don't want to be late. Since I wasn't early, I'm automatically escorted to the corner of the stage where I have to wait for Ceasar.

That's when I think about what I should look like out there. I don't want to look arrogant but I don't want to look scared. Most of my remaining 'angle' will come tomorrow with the interview but I know people will be watching me. This is the first time they'll see the victor so I should look confident. Yes, confidence is always good. Oh man, I'm screwed.

"Let's welcome to the stage, Isis Swift!" I hear my name and walk onto the stage. My heels drop to the bottom of my worry list as I see the bright lights and the roaring crowd. The sound is deafening but I remember to be a good victor by looking down at the crowd and smiling a bit.

Ceasar waits for me but holds out his hand. Ok, I just need to get to him and it'll all be over. I shake my head a bit, I can't lie to myself. I'm getting ready to watch my hell all over again.

I reach Ceasar, grab his hand, and take a seat. Let the hell begin ladies and gentlemen. We take our seats in the usual red velvet chair and I take a deep breath. Let's do this.

"Isis, it's wonderful to see you here today! How have you been since your victor?" Ceasar asks his pearly smile as white as ever. I wonder if his teeth are fake like everything else in the Capitol. Wait, focus, Isis!

"I'm glad to be out of the arena. It's much better here." I smile slightly but try to avoid eye contact with Ceasar. I don't like this, I wish I was all alone. The whole country watching me be this fake idiot was not my idea of fun or relaxing.

"Yes, I'm sure it was tough to go through. But you're here now, Isis. You are looking great by the way." Ceasar compliments me.

The next few questions are mostly just about the surgery I had and my clothes. It was all superficial stuff so I just forgot the confident 'angle' I thought of and left it to be just the boring, bland truth. But then the recap starts and that's when my palms start to sweat.

It begins at the reaping, all of the tributes reaping very short except for mine. I get to see Cossy again and how she was too shocked to volunteer. I'm glad she didn't, Cossy would have never survived. Liam was right though, I didn't look scared. It wasn't an excited look though, I just looked determined.

The reapings are over quickly and we switch to the Pre-Game crap. I don't pay much attention but I do hate how I have to see all of the tribute's faces again. Some of them had pure fire in their eyes of how _they _were going to win but yet I'm sitting here.

It's to the bloodbath all too quickly and I try to focus on myself. It doesn't work though because I get to see Tuscan die all over again. We never really talked much during the Pre-Games but you can tell on the screen that it took me back, seeing the boy die right beneath me. I quickly run away though and the screen focuses on the bloodbath once again. I bet my lack of killing during the beginning was very boring but it kept me alive.

The recap editors know better than to focus on anything other than me or too long so all I get to see is the flashes of blood flying, flesh being ripped open, and the cannons. Those fucking cannons will haunt me for the rest of my life, I just know it.

The scene switches to me running and running and running and then sleep running. It is rather boring, I must say, but I know the jungle is coming up. I know what lies ahead for me.

The numbing incident is shown in full detail. I get to see the panic in my eyes as the numbing from the vine takes over. I decide to look away until I manage to get up. I know that my thoughts were consumed with Althea and Jaspe as they had just walked by. That mutt will be what brings us together though.

I decide to kick off my heels and lean by into the seat, my legs tucked under me. I'm going to be here for a while longer so why not get comfortable. Ceasar doesn't seem to notice and I turn my attention back to the screen where the Chion is taking up most of the screen.

This time I get to see the animal's point of view, watching as it stalks me and then circles me. I look terrified. The Chion is chasing me quickly, the editor's wasting no time, and I get to see Jaspe kill the creature. This was before he was a selfish bastard, I guess.

I pick at my blue nail polish as I am forced to listen to me and Althea talk. It's too much to look at her so I just listen. Althea never did do anything malicious or mean, that must be why I was so crushed when she died.

I'm picking at my nail polish for so long I don't look up until Jaxx and Finch reveal their secret alliance. I watch as Marlene is killed by Finch then Jaxx joining her. It really was a perfect dramatic scene for the Hunger Games. Sponsors must have flocked to them afterwards.

I do smile a bit whenever it shows me getting my axe though. This was the first time in the games I saw hope in my eyes. I loved this moment and apparently so did Ceasar because he turned to me to shoot me another white smile. If only I could be instantly happy like him.

The editors chose to fast forward the time that Jaspe, Althea, and I spend walking and cut to the part where Jaspe abandons us. I feel the anger all over but I know Althea's death is coming. The sadness is already welling within me. Althea is about to die….again.

I watch as Jaspe says he'll never forget us and then runs off. Althea looks at me and you can see the desperation on my face. I was panicking in that moment, I had no idea what to do. Althea was already forming an idea in her head. She knew what she was going to do while I panic for answers. How can I watch this again?

This is when I notice my vision is blurred and I quickly look down. I didn't want to cry but the tears have already fallen. My make-up is running mean they will _defiantly _see me crying. I try to wipe away under my eyes as I listen to Althea dying, the speakers booming in my ears.

"Why? I've got nothing to live for so wouldn't this be easier? Easier for you to win, Isis." I hear and the tears come again. Please, make it stop.

I don't want this, I'm almost tempted to run off stage but I have to sit through this. I have to watch her die once more. It'll be over soon, Isis. I keep crying though and my hands come up black. People in the crowd are murmuring and I know that this act of emotion has not gone unnoticed.

BOOM!

I cry out when Althea's cannon booms. I never wanted them to see me like this. Everyone can see me, everyone can see me breaking down. I bow my head down and try to hide my face.

But then a hand finds its way onto my knee and I look up to see Ceasar. He is trying to comfort me but it barely helps. He is a part of why Althea is dead and why I have to watch this again. Damn Ceasar, why can't he just let me wallow in my grief?

I let Ceasar continue his 'comforting' but I don't look back at the screen until Finch, Jaxx, and I are waiting outside of the cornucopia. We were fools. I watch as the idiots go and fight while I abandon them. I probably wouldn't be here if I hadn't of cowered away that night.

Rather quickly, we are to the final battle. I have to look away several times but I watch as I become victor. Jaxx is killed instantly from my knife. The only way I could have done that was if Jaspe had taught me to throw knives, I had killed him only a while earlier though even though in the end he technically saved me.

The screen flicks off and I quickly swipe under my eyes. I could see myself on a screen just in the distance and I see that I had managed to do a pretty good job with the mascara wiping. My eyelashes weren't as long as they use to be though but hey as long as I look presentable I should be good.

Shortly after, I'm escorted up to President Snow. His naturally golden hair was really striking considering I hadn't seen many natural hair colors since I've arrived back in the Capitol. He wears a rose in his tux pocket and I focus on it, trying not to look in his eyes.

"Congratulations on winning, Isis." He says quietly. It's very professional, his voice.

"Thank you." I reply in a shaky voice, finally looking into his eyes. They made me cringe, how piercing they were. Shit, I see why this man is in charge of a country based on a death game.

As the President walks away all I can think about is how in a little while I'll have to go and party. Smile, dance, have fun. I really am just the Capitol's doll, they can do whatever they want with me and I have to oblige.


End file.
